‘SNL’ recap: Scarlett Johansson hosts with musical guest Bad Bunny

We are at the goal line for SNL in Review, the coverage of the 50th season — and, Coneheads, it’s been a whirlwind. What an ambitious, messy, appropriately scattershot season, one giant ode to itself that welcomed the return of the Lonely Island and extended residencies from legendary cast members Maya Rudolph, Dana Carvey, and Mike Myers. 

And now, it all comes to a close. What will the future yield? Scarlett Johansson hosts tonight’s season finale. It’s her seventh stint as host, a record for a female member of the Five-Timers Club. She’s also made cameos in recent years, including twice this season alone. Even casual fans are speculating on the significance of Johansson hosting the final episode of this momentous year. Is Colin Jost leaving? Who else?

Either way, summer break is upon us. Former cast member Nora Dunn noted to me during her first few seasons she had projects like Working Girl lined up outside the show but “after the third year I just wanted to be off the summer — I can just be off. I don’t have to work; I could just go up to Wisconsin with my boyfriend and enjoy my life.”

Whether it is Jost or another cast member eyeing the exits, Dunn advises: “Embrace it because it’s going to last your lifetime that you were on Saturday Night Live — use it to your advantage because it’s even though, in my mind, I think ‘so many people have been on Saturday Night Live,’ not really — it’s an exclusive club you were on it. Just own it. When I left the show, it took me a year to air out and move on. Even though I complain about so many people still, especially now, because of the 50th, it’s still such a big part of what people want to talk about with me. They associate me with it. You have to accept that.”

Words of wisdom! OK, Conehead nation, buckle up and let’s see how the show lands the season 50 plane.

Cold Open

Donald Trump (James Austin Johnson) is vibing in the Middle East! While Emil Wakim is standing next to Johnson, this cold open follows the recent pattern of letting JAJ’s Trump hold court and monologue. He comments on American planes (“Newark!”). He’s cooking, and he’s having a great time. 

Suddenly, things change. Johnson breaks the fourth wall and sits in the audience. Hilarious. He remarks on SNL season 50 ending, and folks having to wait until the fall for the fake, fun version of Trump. Until then, we are stuck with the bleak, real one in the White House. This was a confident, almost brilliant way to do the last cold open of the season. I have slowly warmed to the pureness and simplicity of letting JAJ cook (as they say) in these. No need for extraneous cameos.

Monologue

Johansson is thrilled to be hosting this historic season finale. She breaks into a SNL-themed parody of Billy Joel’s “Piano Man.” Cast members join her. Chloe Fineman likes singing monologues. Heidi Gardner says she prefers Q&A ones! Most of the cast, sans Weekend Update anchors, join her on stage and joke about (a distressed) Sarah Sherman being fired. “We got to spend it with you!” the song concludes. Cute! What awaits us?

“Local News Stories”

Keith (Wakim) tries something new for the local morning news broadcast. Denise from the evening news is filling in she loves the early morning puns that the other anchors are using. Here’s the thing: she isn’t just reporting on lighter fare. Using puns, she is talking about murder suicides, and a pervert teacher in Ohio. “Hasta la vista baby! Another baby was been deported!” she cheerily shares.

The dark puns spread to other parts of the broadcast. Eh.

“Please Don’t Destroy”

Our heroes are back (randomly) — they only did a few this season. ScarJo has the vibe right and takes them on a first-class flight. It’s “balling” and they start a Lonely Island-style music video… with a catch. They are landing in Newark. Uh oh. The stylized cool and tropes of the rap song get undercut by the anxiety of approaching the airport. Newark Airport has been experiencing significant issues, including chronic delays, cancellations, and outages. The passengers prepare to die and confess their regrets — Johansson laments that the Avengers films did not make more money at the box office.

A nervous pilot (Mikey Day) calls the control tower. In a cameo, musical guest Bad Bunny answers. He harmonizes instructions on how to land. Cute.

“Couples at the Bar”

A one-night stand between Marcello Hernández and Ego Nwodim‘s characters has turned into a three-week courtship. Looking sheepish at a table in a bar across from her, Marcello seems unsure and wants out.

Johansson and Bad Bunny, in another cameo, say they have taken their table at a restaurant. A fight brews. However, both men speak Spanish and confide to one another that they are scared of their dates. (In a funny moment, Nwodim says she knows Spanish too: she used to work at Chipotle!) Johansson and Nwodim spew gibberish. 

I also like JAJ and Dismukes in this.

“Bowen’s Still Straight”

Ah, I did not expect a sequel to this sketch. Johansson confides she has a cast crush: Bowen Yang. But it cannot happen: she is married, and Bowen, she thinks, is gay. Oh no, she is told. Similar to Sydney Sweeney, the two have a passionate affair, then he blows her off. 

Gina Gershon makes a returning cameo as Bowen’s girlfriend. Same with Emily Ratajkowski.

“Mike Myers Elevator Ride”

Janice meets Mike Myers in an elevator. She is starstruck — he is fine with it, in New York City, celebrities are all over the place. So here is the hook: Kanye West (Thompson) enters the elevator. It has been nearly two decades since Myers was dragged into a viral moment with Ye, who infamously ranted in a 2005 televised fundraiser for Hurricane Katrina aid that then-president George W. Bush “doesn’t care about black people.” Myers, as you imagine, is even more unnerved now, given Ye’s recent erratic behavior.

Bad Bunny — “Nuevayol”

After another intro from Johansson, Bad Bunny’s performance starts with a nice hat tip to “Lunch atop a Skyscraper,” an iconic photo of eleven ironworkers hanging out on a steel beam of the RCA Building. (Bad Bunny hosted and was the musical guest back in 2023. But he has had a few appearances on the show in different capacities!) Solo tienes que vivir, he concludes. You just have to live. Good stuff.

Former cast member Nora Dunn caught Bad Bunny’s Radio City Music Hall performance back in February for SNL50. She shared with me: “The concert was the best I’ve ever been to because it was one after the next. Snoop Dogg — he was amazing, and then it was Bonnie Raitt, Lady Gaga, and Cher closed the show! What more could you ask for… They had to clear the stage of a band, put another whole other band up there on a commercial break since it was Peacock. It was just a seamless production, filmed live. This is what the height of professionalism and everyone who got out there was ‘on’ the second they got on.”

“Weekend Update”

Trump’s Saudi Arabia trip is covered again as “Weekend Update” kicks off. Michael Che has a good joke about the Mandela effect. Other topics: RFK Jr., the new tell-all book about Joe Biden, and the recent New Jersey transit line issues. 

Airplane safety is a big issue right now, but some people care more about airplane food. Miss Eggy returns to deliver some Def Comedy-style stand-up. She did this last month, and it was hilarious. The crowd again loves Miss Eggy. Love the energy.

It’s the season finale, so Jost announces another Joke Swap! First, Jost tells Lorne “retire bitch! Let me run the show!” Che and Jost give each other savage one-liners — unprintable, in some cases. 

Che calls out Johansson and apologizes to her for the last joke swap. Che gives a forced yet seemingly heartfelt ode to Jost. Interesting tones.

Commenting on Colin Jost’s time as an anchor, Nora Dunn shared: “He’s probably one of the best news update guys,” saying Jost and Che are “so good, they’re still making me laugh. I go to them for my contemporary look on news. I’m not young anymore, but I like to go to them. And then they’re nailing it. He’s irreplaceable — but then, everybody said that about Chevy Chase!”

She adds: “One thing they do that we barely did was laugh at their own jokes. Dennis anchored and he wrote all that material — I think there was one writer with him, Herb Sargent, who came from the original show that he worked with. But Dennis? His delivery was his delivery. And he also was very appealing, the likability you have to have that if you’re going to be on ‘Weekend Update’ because you’re coming in every week, people have to like you. They have to be glad to see you. He really raised the whole level, he’s really smart.”

“Intimacy Coordinators”

A romance between two women set in the ’50s is in production. The male director (Mikey Day) — who claims he is an ally — ushers in the crew. “Sowwy,” he says, introducing Sarah Sherman’s nonbinary character. There’s two intimacy coordinators on set, and a full love scene to shoot. The ally-passing intimacy coordinators (ScarJo, Thompson) are confused by the lesbian logistics. 

“TV Press Junket”

A popular YouTube channel welcomes the cast of a hit teen romance, Summer Lake. Danny (Hernandez) is given many softball questions — but the female cast members get asked way tougher ones, about race and taking the pill. Another redux! Lots of points about sexism, and pretty funny. 

Bad Bunny — “Perfumito Nuevo” feat. RaiNao

Thought the bathroom setting motif was clever — and the use of mirrors/overall camerawork. Really elevates this beyond just a static stage performance

“Victorian Ladies at Lunch”

A bizarre and delightful 10-to-1. Donning silly British accents, Johansson joins Gardner, Fineman, and Sherman for a disgusting and messy meal. Jellied eel, hot dogs made of poodle. Ew. 

Three hours pass: the ladies admit they all went to the bathroom after the gross decadence. 

Final thoughts

• Goodnights! Jost gives roses to Johansson, and they kiss. Johansson wears a Wayne’s World shirt next to Mike Myers.
• If you feel like you want some fun SNL-related content during this summer break, I highly suggest this conversation around the infamous Milton Berle episode from way back in season four. It’s from the gentlemen at the Not Ready for Prime Time Project. Featuring me! 
• Thank you to the former cast members who have contributed quotes and commentary throughout this historic season: Gary Kroeger, Jeff Richards, Patrick Weathers, Siobhan Fallon Hogan, Nora Dunn, John Milhiser, Taran Killam, Denny Dillon, Bobby Moynihan, Victoria Jackson, Rich Hall, Christine Ebersole, Matthew Laurance, Jerry Minor and Alex Moffat!
• And yes! On that note – huge thank you to Nora Dunn for her thoughts on this season! FYI – she has written a new play, Skokie Swift, a charming, funny, and somber homage to her roots on Chicago’s West Side. Here’s what it is about: Skokie Swift — a famous, middle-aged comic — returns for a rare visit with his siblings and extended family after reviving his career. As the evening progresses, resentments, misconceptions, and the tragic results of a deadly school fire rise from the ashes. They did a live reading last year with Tim Kazurinsky. 

One last ask for this historic season: Vote, will you? Thoughts on the season finale? Thank you for reading during this wild season.