Harry Styles is no stranger to “Saturday Night Live,” having performed several times with his former boy band One Direction and, more recently, as a solo artist. But this isn't his first time as a presenter either.
This week, the pop star returned to Studio 8H to host for the second time, more than six years after his debut. That's a lot of time in between, during which Styles starred in a pair of films, “Don't Worry Darling” and “My Policeman,” and released a trio of albums, including his latest, “Kiss all the time. Disco, Occasionally.”, which was there to promote.
Styles has a knack for radiating charm, honed after years in the spotlight as a musician, and now with some notable acting roles under his belt, he's more than ready for the stage. And the timing is perfect, considering many actors are in Hollywood this weekend for the Oscars.
He returned to fulfill a variety of sketches, including one about a prosecutor distracted by the famous comedian and lawyer assigned to defend an alleged thief, a pre-recorded sketch that was based on the hit HBO Max medical drama “The Pitt” and a final sketch in which he played himself promoting a clothing line inspired by some of his most famous outfits for Target.
She also excelled in parts where she could show off her voice and dancing, such as in “Sparkle of the Sea,” an infomercial about a German cruise line, and another pre-recorded sketch, “She's an Irish Dancer,” where the boys find out how Irish their dates are in a nod to St. Patrick's Day on Tuesday. More flattering, however, were the sketches about a pair of Best Buy workers, and one in which Styles played a drive-thru worker at a White Castle, but that's because Jane Wickline and Veronika Slowikowska stole the skit as a pair of nerdy girls trying to ask him out to the school dance.
Styles performed his new single, “Dance No More,” after last week’s host, Ryan Gosling, introduced it, a fitting appearance since Styles interrupted his monologue. And Paul Simon also stopped by to introduce Styles before his second song, “Coming Up Roses.”
This week's cold open addressed the ongoing war in Iran. The patriarch (Mikey Day) of a family at a gas station says he needs to fill up his car. When a piano starts playing, his wife (Ashley Padilla) says, “Fill it up? Not all the way, right?” “We have to do it,” Day responds emphatically. “But it's five dollars,” he says before turning to his two children (Marcello Hernández and Sarah Sherman) to tell them that they have to leave one of them because gas is too expensive. Because? “The Epstein files,” exclaims President Trump (James Austin Johnson), who enters the scene. “It's called the butterfly effect. Epstein was the first domino,” he says, imitating falling dominoes. Trump goes on to introduce himself by saying that we might remember him for campaign promises like “lower gas prices” and “no more wars” (“Psych!”). “We love making promises because a promise is a lie that simply hasn't been fulfilled yet.” As for the stock market, he puts it in a way that Harry Styles fans could understand: It's going in one direction, generating loud cheers and applause. He jokes about Iran's age, saying that it is old and that no one likes it: “Iran is like ballet and opera and weird Timothée Chalamet,” in reference to the actor's comments that have caused a stir.
But Trump says he has everything under control and has met with top minds, including influencer and boxer Jake Paul, who he says was booed “very badly” in his fight against Mike Tyson. “Did someone say alcohol?” Department of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth (Colin Jost) says as he steps out of the family car and dozens of cans fall to the ground. (“It was just a couple of sodas, don't worry.”) He then thanks Trump for the “beautiful size 16 Florsheim shoes,” referring to the Wall Street Journal report that they are the president's preferred gift to his close friends and advisors. Hegseth goes on to say that they are “hashtag winning” the war with Iran, and as for the Strait of Hormuz, he advises that tankers carrying oil should do what he does at a DUI checkpoint: “Close your eyes and shoot.”
In his monologue, Styles, dressed in a gray pinstriped suit and a bright blue tie, said he couldn't resist hosting when he heard his favorite musical guest had been booked. After his tour ended in 2023, he took a lot of time off and realized that he had spent much of his life traveling and “making songs about fruits that people think were about sex.” He really likes fruit and sex. He also said that a lot of people pay attention to what he wears (true, see above), and some people accused him of “queerbaiting,” to which he responded, “Maybe you don't know everything about me, Dad.” But as for what he did in his free time, he did boring things, like running (his sub-three-hour marathon in Berlin was the talk of the running world). It's better than the alternative, he says, as an image of the former Prince Andrew appears on the screen. But now he's promoting his new album, “Kiss All the Time. Disco, Odd Occasionally,” because what's better than kissing? He doesn't actually want to kiss all the time, which leads to a brief appearance and disappearance of cast members Chloe Fineman and Sherman, unless it's Ben Marshall. He complimented Marshall's butt and gave him a kiss on the lips: “Now that's queerbaiting.”
Best sketch of the night: I don't know if your dad did this, but my dad used to do it twice.
The first sketch of the night took us to a courtroom, where a New Jersey prosecutor (Styles) rose to present his case against the defendant, Mr. Donovan (Tommy Brennan), who had no attorney. Then the judge (Kenan Thompson) named one: comedian Sebastián Maniscalco (Hernández). It's Hernandez's second time playing the comedian, whose caricature of Maniscalco in a red jacket and black turtleneck is by turns spot-on, over-the-top and downright hilarious. He intervened with retorts as the prosecutor explained charges of theft of $5,000 in merchandise, including a belt. “Let me tell you something about the belt. When I was a kid, the belt wasn't to keep your pants up, it was to keep the bulk down,” Maniscalco says, pointing to his waist and explaining how his father would wear it. However, Maniscalco's manic energy was too much for the courtroom sketch artist, who complains to the judge about having to draw him, showing a sketch of a blurry, multi-limbed man. Congratulations to Styles, who managed to maintain his composure as Hernandez slid around him. But Styles had the last laugh with his own impression of Maniscalco, before a final sketch of him was revealed. Put it in the Louvre!
Also good: Why get real medical care when you have 'Mahaspital'?
“The Pitt,” one of America's most animated television shows, has been praised for its realistic portrayal of emergency rooms and the stress that medical workers endure on a regular basis. So when the opening scenes of this preview tape started playing, the crowd went wild. But this isn't “The Pitt,” it's “Mahaspital,” brought to you by producer Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the team behind Make America Healthy Again. Styles channels Noah Wyle's Dr. Robby, marching toward an incoming patient on a gurney as she is pushed down the emergency hallway. “What you need is a steak,” he says. “Give me beef suet and six raw eggs too.” The sketch touches on many of the characteristics of the MAHA movement: healing crystals, vaccine skepticism, raw milk, and lots of protein. And we can't forget the Central Park bear.
'Weekend Update' Winner: Battle of the Heart (Emojis)
“Update” hosts Michael Che and Jost focused most of their attention on the Iran war this week, but they also mentioned another event taking place this weekend: the Oscars. They brought in Tucker Carlson (Jeremy Culhane) to talk about the best picture nominees. Culhane's impression of the conservative pundit was quite impressive, capturing his cadence and his habit of using rhetorical questions; I hope we see it again.
But it was Day and Hernandez who stole the segment as skycar and heart emojis, respectively, who came together to comment on Apple's addition of eight new emojis. Heart emoji on new additions: “All I know is they're all going to be more popular than this loser,” pointing at Day. “I'm number one because I'm useful. People use me for everything.” But one cannot leave aside a cable car, who tried to explain other ways of using emojis, without success. At least he has a solid set of firecrackers: an orange square, a division sign, a snorkel, and a “my boy the goat” building with a horn. The day was dedicated to that part, causing Hernandez to burst into a stifled laugh. Don't be surprised if you see a lot more of the cable car (and his girlfriend, with two arrows) in your text messages.
