Bad Bunny photographed in Coral Gables, Florida on Oct. 5, 2023.Photo:John Parra/Telemundo via Getty
John Parra/Telemundo via Getty
On Saturday, the award-winning musician, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, appeared on the New York-based sketch series for the third time — though first time pulling double-duty.
The show’s cold open pushed the political button that is all the talk on Capitol Hill this week — House Republicans dropping Rep. Jim Jordan as nominee for Speaker of the House. Mikey Day played the Ohio congressman as not only miffed that he didn’t have his GOP colleagues' support, but also confused because hedidhave Donald Trump’s support.
“How did I lose?” Day’s Jordan asked. “All I want is to get Congress back to work so I can shut it down again!”
Bowen Yang popped in as George Santos, Chloe Fineman as Lauren Boebert and, of course, James Austin Johnson once again hit every note as Donald Trump. “Is this the loser’s office?” Johnson’s Trump said. “People are saying that I would make a great Speaker. It’s true, but sadly I’ll be too busy campaigning, traveling from city to city visiting their beautiful courtrooms.”
Bad Bunny appeared onstage to deliver his monologue, in which he dismissed naysayers who believe he cannot hostSNLbecause English isn’t his first language.
“I don’t know if they know, but I do whatever I want,” the Grammy winner said. “I can host this show in English. I can order McDonald’s in English. I can have sex in English, but I prefer sex in Spanish because it’s just better. I just prefer Spanish.”
Bad Bunny pictured at Coachella 2023.Frazer Harrison/Getty for Coachella
With that, Bad Bunny continued his monologue in Spanish. But to help “translate” for the audience,Pedro Pascaljoined him on stage. The rapper asked Pascal, 48, for advice on his monologue since the Chilean actor hosted last season. Pascal suggested he make a self-deprecating joke about his physical appearance or show the audience an embarrassing photo, but shamelessly, Bad Bunny said he had neither.
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Lady Gagaalso paid a visit to Studio 8H to introduce Bad Bunny’s first musical performance of his newly-released song “Un Preview.” Pascal later introduced the host and musical guest’s second performance of the night, “Monaco.”
Bad Bunny appeared in most of the sketches throughout the night. In addition to his skits alongside Jagger, he played a rapper who didn’t even have to spit bars to win a rap battle, the King of Spain judging what his travelers brought back from the New World and a difficult but wholesome Burt’s Bees employee.
In a pre-recorded video, Bad Bunny also dressed head-to-toe as Shrek, green skin and all. He pitched a wild yet oddly movingShrekmovie that the members of comedy trio Please Don’t Destroy ultimately loved, though Bad Bunny ended up throwing the screenplay in the trash.
Bad Bunny pictured in New York City on May 1, 2023.Cindy Ord/MG23/Getty
Cindy Ord/MG23/Getty
In the middle of Benito’s response, banging could be heard off-camera as the camera panned to Bad Bunny entering the studio with a mock professional wrestling belt withSNLinscribed on it. “I got a weekend update for you, you suck,” Bad Bunny announced to Benito, spurring the latter to tell him to “shut up” before the two got into a verbal argument that ended with them facing each other menacingly.
In this week’s Weekend Update, Colin Jost poked fun at Joe Biden, saying the president gave the “same strong message to anyone thinking of attacking Israel — “Don’t.”
After showing a montage of Biden saying “don’t” over and over again, Jost said he likes that Biden only needs one word “to get his point across,” but added, “To give you an idea of how affective ‘don’t’ is, it’s the same thing Biden says to his dog before it bites another secret service agent.”
Continuing on that train of thought, Jost said that while Biden was in Israel, he said the Hamas attack was like “15 9/11s.”
SNLmentioned two PEOPLE exclusives during Weekend Update: Britney Spears’ bookThe Woman in Meand Jada Pinkett Smith’s memoir,Worthy. “Sorry if I seem a little tired, Ego Nwodim’s Pinkett Smith says. “I’ve been on theTodayshow 14 times in three days.”
Nwodim’s Pinkett Smith says her marriage to Will Smith is OK, “because 23 years later, Will and I are still a unit. And it’s because we have learned that the secret to a successful marriage is: Never go to bed happy.”
Between headliningCoachella2023 and being Spotify’s most-streamed artist three years in a row, the Puerto Rican rapper and singer is undoubtedly one of the biggest stars in the world right now.
Saturday did not mark Bad Bunny’s first foray withSNL,however.On April 25, 2020, the artist appeared remotely during one of Kenan Thompson’s sketches as a part ofSNL at Homeduring the COVID-19 pandemic.
His then officially appeared in-person on the show on Feb. 20, 2021, when he was tapped to be a musical guest. During that same episode, he appeared in two sketches: “Sea Shanty” and “Loco.”
“I always liked acting, but not more than music. Music is always number one,” Bad Bunny toldTIMEabout dabbling in different creative pursuits. “So when the opportunity came for acting it’s coming thanks to my fame and success in music. I’ve tried it and like it.”
source: people.com
