SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE — Aubrey Plaza, Sam Smith Episode 1836 — Pictured: Host Aubrey Plaza during the Monologue on Saturday, January 21, 2023 — (Photo by: Rosalind OConnor/NBC via Getty Images)
It didn't take long for the "Saturday Night Live" cast to take on New York's newest controversial lightning rod: Rep. George Santos.
The newly-elected congressman making headlines for lying about most of the resume that he boasted in his congressional campaign was featured not once, but twice on the sketch program's first show of 2023.
Donning Santos' already signature look, a blue blazer over a sweater, Bowen Yang played the representative in the cold open sketch of a Fox Sports segment recapping the night's NFL playoff game where the New York Giants fell impressively to the Philadelphia Eagles.
In the opening sketch, a panel of sports commentators brings out brand new sideline reporter and "Heisman Trophy winner" with "more championships than Tom Brady": George Santos. Introduced as the "former number one draft pick," Yang's Santos boasts a long list of fabricated accomplishments.
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"I’m sort of the real Bo Jackson. And I’m proud to be the first African American quarterback to ever dunk a football," he tells the panel.
Yang rattles off a list of fake stats, claiming to be the Eagles' secret weapon in their defeat of rival Giants and an Oscar winner at age 18. He also denies performing in drag under the name Kitara Ravache, but whoever did "was very, very good at it and won many, many pageants," Yang said.
His sideline report wraps up, but Yang would return a minute later as Kitara Ravache, boasting an impressive career of 26 death drops, 19 duck walks and infinity wags snatched. Yang snuck in one final reference to Santos' claim his mother died in the Sept. 11 attacks before dancing it out to a remixed version of the "Fox football anthem."
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Yang returned as Santos later in the show, during the regular Weekend Update segment. Colin Jost tried addressing several of the fabrications that have landed the congressman in hot water, including claims he is Jewish.
"No, I said I was "Jew-ish," which is honestly icon-ic," he returned.
The night's host, Aubrey Plaza, appeared as characters from a couple of her hit shows, like "Parks & Rec" and "The White Lotus," and gave a backstage tour during the opening monologue in homage to her days working as an NBC page many years ago.
Plaza took a seat at the Weekend Update desk as her "Parks & Rec" character April Ludgate, accompanied by surprise guest Leslie Knope, played by former "SNL" cast member Amy Poehler.
In a spoof on the acclaimed HBO show in which Plaza starred in the second season, "SNL" introduced a teaser for "The Black Lotus" with Chloe Fineman bringing back her impression of star Jennifer Coolidge. Staff at the luxury hotel, played by Ego Nwodim, Kenan Thompson and Devon Walker,
The show's returning musical guest, Sam Smith, performed their hit single "Unholy" alongside Kim Petras.
Next week, Michael B. Jordan takes a spin as host with musical guest Lil Baby.
