For its second “at home” edition, NBC’s Saturday Night Live worked out some of the kinks. It featured more elaborate skits using green screen, makeup and wigs, and introduced new opening credits while dropping the cringeworthy zoom Weekend Update laughter from the first installment. In also restored SNL’s regular cold open segment with Brad Pitt playing Dr. Anthony Fauci.
The technical upgrades allowed for Kenan Thompson to bring back some of his most popular characters, including Diondre Cole in What Up With That: At Home, David “Big Papi” Ortiz and O.J. Simpson.
What’s Up With That featured guests Charles Barkley, DJ Khaled and perennial third guest Lindsey Buckingham (Bill Hader) as well as the return of key members of Diondre’s crew, Fred Armisen as Giuseppe and Jason Sudeikis as the tracksuit-wearing overzealous backup dancer Vance. Watch the video above.
As former baseball player David “Big Papi” Ortiz, Thompson made a big Dominican lunch in quarantine with the help of rapper Bad Bunny playing himself.
Thompson also reprised his O.J. Simpsons impersonation in a sendup to the former NFL star and convicted felon’s string of controversial video comments on Twitter about coping with the coronavirus pandemic, which have gone viral. In one of them, Simpson, after finishing a round of golf, argued that gold courses should stay open during the health crisis because golf is the only exercise that “older guys” get. In another, Simpson posted outside of a Costco store, wearing a mask, with a load of toilet paper and water. Here is Thompson’s take.
Pitt, Armisen, Sudeikis, Barkley, DJ Khaled and Bad Bunny were some of the big names who appeared on. SNL at Home tonight.
Paul Rudd popped in for a skit. And Adam Sandler, coming off the viral success of his quarantine song, joined Pete Davidson for a song about going crazy while stuck in quarantine. Introduced in the first SNL At Home show, Davidson’s music videos have become a highlight of the new format of the show.
Rounding out the list of celebrity appearances on SNL at Home was musical guest Miley Cyrus with a cover of Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here”.