Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
Videos: Jonah Hill Tries To Be Drake On <em>Saturday Night Live</em>
By
Ben Yakas
Published Mar 6, 2016
Modified Mar 6, 2016
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
View all 12
By
Ben Yakas
Published Mar 6, 2016
Modified Mar 6, 2016
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
A few weeks after Larry David and Melissa McCarthy hosted two of the best episodes of the season, Jonah Hill made his fourth hosting appearance on Saturday Night Live last night with musical guest Future. And although Hill is always a pretty good host (even when he has nothing to promote but his appearance in the Hail Caesar! trailer), this episode was largely a laughless mess—not the nadir that was Donald Trump's episode, but likely the second or third worst episode of the season.
Just because most of the sketches didn't really work—and even the ones that did came with baggage attached—doesn't mean there weren't some funny individual performances and moments. Weekend Update was the best part of the evening: Colin Jost and Michael Che seem to have finally found a looser rhythm and style that suits them and their chemistry, Cecily Strong brought back Girl You Wish You Hadn't Started A Conversation With At A Party, and Kate McKinnon was just wonderful as 110-year-old woman Flossie Dickey. And to top it off, Jay Pharaoh saved the best for last, throwing out about 10 flawless impressions of black comedians in quick succession.
Then there were two solid-if-unspectacular political sketches (as keeping with SNL's general blah-ness this season with political humor, outside of any Larry David/Bernie Sanders appearances): the Cold Open (which was a basic summary of the week's big political events, highlighted by Jason Sudeikis returning as Mitt Romney, and Bobby Moynihan's defeated Chris Christie), and the Racists For Trump ad (which was very good...except then you remember that SNL gave Trump airtime for sketches about how great he would be as president, and suddenly their critiques feel pretty hollow).
Other than that though...the Monologue was extremely disjointed (with Hill jumping from some "audience questions" to performing "Jumpman" with Future), The Champ was an attempt at a surreal digital short that never took off, and Inside SoCal was unfortunately one of the weaker entries of the recurring bit (though it was nice to see a bit more Kyle Mooney this week than previous episodes this season). Murder Mystery and Fond du Lac Action News were only as funny as the accents, and School Auction was probably one of the worst sketches of the season.
But everybody has an off-week! Click through to check all that out, plus 2.5 performances from Future. We're back next week with Ariana Grande pulling double duty as host and musical guest so...that'll be something, indeed.
Tagged
jonah hill
saturday night live
snl
television
tv
original
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
Ever wish you could get paid to walk through a stranger’s house? ‘The Scout’ is for you.
A new film focuses on the strange career of a location scout in New York City.
By
Sonia Rao
Published Sep 26, 2026
There are 100s of places to visit during Open House New York. Here's 5 of our favorites.
See the entire lineup for the weekend when the city opens its doors.
By
Hannah Frishberg
Arts & Entertainment
There are 100s of places to visit during Open House New York. Here's 5 of our favorites.
See the entire lineup for the weekend when the city opens its doors.
By
Hannah Frishberg
A massive MTA archive ended up in a Virginia warehouse. A Brooklyn man brought it home.
By
Hannah Frishberg
How a Harry Styles pop-up in the East Village led to a nearby bookstore owner's arrest
By
Sonia Rao
NYC’s creative workers are increasingly self-employed, report says
By
Hannah Frishberg
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .