'SNL' tackles Columbia University protests and spoofs JoJo Siwa as Dua Lipa hosts
Dua Lipa just danced the Saturday night away live from New York.
The "Training Season" singer, 28, made her "Saturday Night Live" hosting debut this weekend and also served as musical guest after releasing her new album, "Radical Optimism," on Friday. During her monologue, Lipa noted that her parents, who have always been "so supportive," were in the studio audience.
"As you can see, they're kind of cool," she said. "They love to party. One night, I was out with my friends and we ended up at the club at 3 in the morning, and who do I bump into but my parents?" She joked that the incident was "embarrassing, because the last thing you want to see when you're super high and drunk ... is your daughter."
Dua Lipa references 'give us nothing' meme in 'SNL' monologue
Lipa went on to reference some online jokes about her, including the "go girl, give us nothing" meme, which originated from a comment mocking her for a low-energy performance. "I didn't give you nothing: I gave you the greatest meme of all time," Lipa said before declaring, "Tonight, I promise you, I'm going to give you everything."
Speaking with Rolling Stone in January, Lipa said she found this meme "really painful."
In her monologue, Lipa also brought up comments that she always seems to be on vacation, quipping that this is "totally wrong because I'm British, so we call it a holiday."
'SNL' tackles Columbia University student protests in cold open
This week's "Saturday Night Live" opening sketch featured parents of college students speaking out about recent campus protests of the war in Gaza, with Kenan Thompson playing the father of a Columbia University student. "Nothing makes me prouder than young people using their voices to fight for what they believe in," he said, only for it to become clear that he doesn't support his own daughter protesting.
"I am supportive of y'all's kids protesting, not my kids," he told the other parents appearing on a news show. "My kids know better!"
Thompson's character added that his daughter "ain't talking about no 'free this, free that,' because I tell you what ain't free: Columbia."
The Columbia protests also came up during "Weekend Update" when co-anchor Michael Che joked, "Officials at Columbia University complained that protesters broke windows and destroyed school property. But so what? College kids also do that when they win the Final Four."
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Che riffed, "President Biden said that the National Guard should not be called in to deal with campus protests. But I'm just happy that he's finally not sending military aid somewhere." After the comment elicited few laughs, Che declared this was his "best joke" of the night.
Jerry Seinfeld cameos on 'SNL' as a man exhausted by his press tour for 'Unfrosted'
"Weekend Update" also featured a surprise cameo by Jerry Seinfeld, who has been relentlessly promoting his new Netflix movie "Unfrosted" and appeared as a "man who did too much press." In the segment, Seinfeld's media appearances were treated like a drug addiction.
"I know I can't undo all the press I've done, but I want to help other people," he joked. "If you're struggling with press, you're not alone. I'm talking to you, Ryan Gosling," referencing the star of another new movie, "The Fall Guy."
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Seinfeld, who just turned 70, told Colin Jost, "When I started doing press for 'Unfrosted,' I was like you: funny, good-looking. Now look at me. You think this is how I wanted to spend my 26th birthday? But you can get clean."
The segment ended with Seinfeld getting a call from Univision and agreeing to do yet another interview.
'SNL' takes on Kristi Noem's dog scandal
Saturday's "SNL" also mocked South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, who reportedly revealed in a new book that she killed a dog that she described as "untrainable." In Lipa's monologue, she offered to give advice to audience members who were having problems but refused to help Noem, played by Heidi Gardner wearing a "Make America Great Again" hat. "No, no, no, sorry, I can't help," Lipa told her.
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Later, during "Weekend Update," Jost joked that Noem shooting the dog is "insane" because "if a dog is untrainable, you don't shoot it: you give it to President Biden." He also joked that former President Donald Trump would probably "fully support killing disobedient pets" as a photo of Trump's former Vice President Mike Pence was shown.
Marcello Hernández appeared on "Weekend Update" as Noem's "other dog," who was portrayed as being secretly terrified that Noem will kill him next.
"She's the best," he said. "It's like they say: I don't know if she rescued me, or if I'm going to get shot in the face."
JoJo Siwa reacts to 'SNL' parody of 'Karma,' adult image
Singer and former child star JoJo Siwa, who recently made waves with her single "Karma" and its mature image, received the parody treatment on "SNL" during the "Weekend Update" segment.
Jost interviewed castmate Chloe Fineman, who was dressed up as Siwa in her dramatic, all-black ensemble from the "Karma" music video.
“It’s a pretty big change. I used to be rainbow sparkles, and now I’m black sparkles. I look like if a figure skater joined a street gang,” Fineman said, to which Jost quipped, “I was going to say, if 'Mad Max' was on Broadway.”
The sketch also poked fun at Siwa's recent comments on her musical evolution. During an April interview with Billboard, Siwa said she wanted to create a new genre called "gay pop" (she later clarified to TMZ that she wants to "bring more attention" to queer pop music.)
“I think that’s maybe just pop,” a chuckling Jost told Fineman.
Siwa appeared to welcome the spoof, praising the sketch as "iconic" on her Instagram Stories Sunday. "I literally don't know what to say," she wrote. "3-and-a-half-minute skit on 'SNL'...."
Contributing: Edward Segarra, USA TODAY
