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Don Francisco Loved Marcello Hernandez's Sábado Gigante Sketch
The Spanish-language TV icon gave his stamp of approval to Hernandez's impression in a sweet message.
Sábado Gigante, once TV's longest-running variety show, finally got a proper parody on Saturday Night Live.
In the "Sábado Gigante" sketch from the October 5 SNL episode, Nate Bargatze played Joshua, a man who ends up accidentally competing on the game show, even though he doesn't speak Spanish very well. Meanwhile, Marcello Hernández portrayed Don Francisco, the real beloved Chilean TV star who hosted Sábado Gigante for 53 years.
And Francisco gave his stamp of approval to Hernández's impression in a sweet message.
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Don Francisco thanked SNL and Marcello Hernández
In an Instagram post from October 6, Francisco raved about the parody, sharing a clip from the sketch, and thanking Hernández and SNL for bringing back memories of "those special moments of our beloved Sábado Gigante."
"Not only was it a great television program, it was much more: a meeting point for families and for our Hispanic community," Francisco — whose real name is Mario Kreutzberger — wrote in Spanish in the caption. "Thanks to the unconditional support of the public, we closed that chapter almost 10 years ago, but the love and respect for what we built together remains as alive as ever. Thank you for so much!"
Francisco is a television icon, having hosted Sábado Gigante for 53 years. The Univision show premiered in August 1962, and aired its final episode in September 2015.
It was a weekly appointment TV for many, becoming the most-watched variety show in Spanish-language television.
SNL's "Sábado Gigante" homage even featured an appearance from El Chacal de la Trompeta, a masked figure who would play a trumpet when players were out of tune during the singing competition of the show.
RELATED: Nate Bargatze's "Washington's Dream 2" SNL Sketch Skewers American English
When did Marcello Hernández join SNL?
Marcello Hernández joined the cast of SNL as a Featured Player in Season 48, and became a Repertory Player in Season 50.
"Sábado Gigante" is just the latest example of Hernández infusing Latin culture into SNL, like his previous popular sketches including "Protective Mom" with Pedro Pascal, and "The Age of Discovery" featuring Bad Bunny.
"It's insane. Everyday you can't believe you're there... I definitely never expected something like this," Hernández said on TODAY in January 2024 when asked about his first year at SNL. "I just kind of wanted to be a stand-up and tour eventually, so this is a crazy experience and I'm just trying to get better at the show. It's like a sport."
