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Watch Ayo Edebiri's Emotional SNL Monologue and Hilarious Sketches
The Bear actress has a background in comedy, and Edebiri definitely showed her range in the February 3 Saturday Night Live episode.
The Bear actress Ayo Edebiri hosted Saturday Night Live for the first time on February 3. Edebiri's comedy background as a stand-up comic and performer was on full display as she embodied a range of colorful characters, from an embarrassed Instagram commenter to an unapologetically nerdy student named Solomon. In her monologue, Edebiri got visibly emotional as she shared that SNL "means so much to me," revealing that as a young writer she'd even submitted a packet, or sample collection of sketches, to try and get a gig on the show.
"I came up in the New York comedy scene with some of my best friends, who i am so blessed to be working with here tonight," Edebiri said (Season 49 cast member Punkie Johnson appeared with Edebiri in her 2023 movie BOTTOMS, to name just one example of her SNL connections). "And it really truly feels like a homecoming."
While one certainly wouldn't be blamed for wondering if musical guest and three-time SNL Host Jennifer Lopez would appear in a sketch, she didn't make any surprise cameos, placing full focus on performing songs from her This Is Me...Now album. There was one unexpected appearance at the top of the show, however, as Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley popped up in the cold open.
RELATED: Every Host of Saturday Night Live Season 49
Watch Ayo Edebiri's Saturday Night Live sketches and monologue below.
CNN Town Hall South Caroline Cold Open
In keeping with SNL's tradition of featuring presidential candidates (and in the case of Sarah Palin, vice presidential candidates) on the show, Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley—the former governor of South Carolina—put in an appearance as herself during a CNN town hall with her political rival Donald Trump (James Austin Johnson).
RELATED: The Most Memorable SNL Cold Opens of All Time
Why'd You Say It?
This game show's premise is the stuff of nightmares: Players are shown their own Instagram comments and asked to explain, "why'd you say it?"
Drugs on Campus
Mikey Day and Ayo Edebiri play a pair of ultra-wholesome college students who lose their minds when they learn their friend (Andrew Dismukes) is "high" (microdosing on mushroom chocolate) after "relapsing" (he'd once "took like half a molly in high school"). Edebiri even makes wheeling a rolling backpack funny.
Bad Couples
A morning news anchor (Bowen Yang) has one awkward interaction after another as he tries and fails to find a single "normal" couple to share their meet-cute story. One woman (Edebiri) even turns up twice: Once with her coworker boyfriend (Devon Walker) and again with her actual husband (James Austin Johnson).
Dune Popcorn Bucket
Marcello Hernández and Ayo Edebiri play two high school who are dreaming of a special, romantic night—not with each other, it turns out, but with the Dune popcorn bucket. And yes, the popcorn bucket with sandworm teeth is a very real, very weird thing.
School Hypnotist
When a hypnotist (Andrew Dismukes) makes a classroom visit, he meets an overzealous student named Solomon (Ayo Edebiri) who has a lot to say on the matter—and a lot to say about basically everything.
Trivia Quest
A game show Host (Ego Nwodim) feels a clear kinship with one contestant in particular (Ayo Edebiri), and absolutely everyone else notices.
Stuck in the Elevator
A group of office workers get stuck in an elevator in the night's second pretaped sketch. Pretty much immediately, two of them (Ayo Edebiri and Bowen Yang) propose they take the opportunity to "remake society" and found Elevatortown, which has three mailmen and one Marilyn Monroe (Sarah Sherman).
People's Court - Bad Hair Day
Ego Nwodim and Ayo Edebiri need to team up in a buddy comedy, STAT.
