Timothée Chalamet's 'SNL' return is complete with recurring characters, musical numbers and an Alec Baldwin cameo
The "Wonka" star seizes the post-strike moment to promote — and parody — his new film.
Timothée Chalamet took the Saturaday Night Live hosting reins for the second time in three years on Saturday, stepping into the spotlight just days after the conclusion of the SAG-AFTRA strike.
The actor was back to promote his upcoming film, Wonka, and did so with a mix of musical numbers, fresh skits and a couple recurring characters from his first time on the SNL stage back in 2020.
Here’s a look at the biggest head-turning moments of the night.
Chalamet’s monologue
To celebrate the end of the actors’ strike — and promote his new movie — Chalamet's monologue included a remix of the famous song “Pure Imagination” from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, with lyrics centered around actors getting back to work.
From there, the monologue took a sharp left turn as Chalamet was joined onstage by cast members Marcello Hernandez, Keenan Thompson and Punkie Johnson as Nicki Minaj, to do a fun, albeit random, rap song about having a baby face. Because, well, they all have baby faces?
Chalamet’s recurring characters
The show included two call-backs to Chalamet’s previous stint as host, with one being the return of the tiny horse. But this time around it wasn’t tiny anymore, and their relationship has evolved a bit.
Also making his triumphant return to SNL was Chalamet’s rapper character SmokeCheddaDaAssGetta, who first appeared as part of a rap duo with Pete Davidson as Guaplord. This time SmokeChedda appeared solo as part of a museum of hip-hop panel, where he didn’t quite fit in with the likes of Mary J. Blige (Johnson), Rick Rubin (James Austin Johnson) and Dr. Cornel West (Thompson).
Chalamet’s influencer sketch
Along with a brief stint impersonating Martin Scorsese during a pre-taped bit, Chalamet also appeared as Australian pop star Troye Sivan for a sketch. He was appearing as a sleep paralysis demon for a character played by cast member Sarah Sherman.
Alec Baldwin cameo
The big cameo of the night — which has been somewhat of theme so far this season — came during a late sketch called Calm Sleep Story. In it, Chalamet is hired to read a calming sleep story but it doesn’t quite work out because he has trouble vibing with the angry feel of the story.
He eventually gets canned, so the next story-reader is brought in and it’s none other than Alec Baldwin, leaning into his angry reputation with a yell and a clap to end the scene.
Criticism for SNL
During a sketch with SNL comedy troupe Please Don’t Destroy, Chalamet played a wannabe musician on the verge of jumping off a building to his death. But one joke made in particular during the pre-taped video has proven to be a bit polarizing and potentially in poor taste.
Another sketch, in which Britney Spears (Chloe Fineman) shows off other celebrities that tried out to read the audio portion of her new biography, drew criticism from Spears’s manager and others around social media for making light of what is a serious book with elements of trauma.
A look ahead
SNL is new once again on Nov. 18 with Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom star Jason Momoa set to host and pop singer Tate McRae handling the musical performances.
Saturday Night Live airs Saturdays at 11:30 p.m. on NBC.
