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SNL's Creative "What Up With That: At Home" Edition Was Packed with Cameos
Kenan Thompson kept the hilarious party goin' (remotely) with Charles Barkley, DJ Khaled, and Jason Sudeikis.
In the weeks leading up to February 16's three-hour 50th anniversary celebration on NBC, the team behind Saturday Night Live has selected one sketch from every single season — 50 seasons in 50 days — to reflect the show's rich legacy across five decades. Presenting the sketch that represents Season 45: "What Up With That: At Home."
In April 2020, Saturday Night Live hosted a star-studded house party with "What Up With That: At Home."
The recurring variety show parody usually had the audience hopping in Studio 8H. Yet in the spring of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic required a wildly creative rework of the show's format. Which is how "What Up With That" Host DeAndre Cole (Kenan Thompson) and his crew wound up staging a socially-distant soirée.
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SNL's "What Up with That" home edition featured Charles Barkley and more cameos
In the SNL at home edition, DeAndre welcomed special guests including basketball legend Charles Barkley, DJ Khaled, and as usual, rock icon Lindsey Buckingham (well, sort of — Bill Hader's recurring Buckingham impression actually just a still photo from a past appearance).
There were also several more faces familiar to "What Up With That" viewers, including Vance the Track Suit Guy (Jason Sudeikis), Giuseppe the Sax Player (Fred Armisen), and two backup singers, (Ego Nwodim and Melissa Villaseñor) who shimmied while singing along to the funky theme song.
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Another SNL cast member, Mikey Day, made a cameo as Howie Hot Wheels — and, he was accompanied by a masked child in a Lego Ninjago costume, played by Day's son.
While "What Up With That" was broadcast from a new location, DeAndre kept up his tradition of barely letting his guests answer any questions while jamming out to the show's catchy theme. Cecily Strong also kept the party going as "the sexy siren of social distancing," Quarantina, performing the classic disco dance floor filler "Merlot for One."
Barkley did manage to get in a couple of answers to DeAndre's questions about playing basketball with Michael Jordan. Meanwhile, DJ Khaled squeezed in one line — it is a jam-packed bill, as Hader's Lindsey Buckingham well knows.
The "What Up With That" crew might have been stuck at home, but that didn't stop them from keeping the party — and laughs — going when we needed it the most.
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Three Saturday Night Live: At Home episodes aired in Spring 2020
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the final three episodes of SNL Season 45 were refashioned as Saturday Night Live At Home, with sketches and videos being filmed from cast members' homes due to the ongoing quarantines.
Saturday Night Live: At Home lasted for three episodes: April 11, April 25, and May 9, 2020. The SNL cast and crew returned to Studio 8H in September 2020 for Season 46.
Watch "What Up With That: At Home" from Season 45, Episode 17 above, and check back daily through February 16 to see which sketch SNL has selected as the best of a given season. Stream all 50 seasons of Saturday Night Live on Peacock anytime.
