“The Californians” has been a wildly popular sketch on Saturday Night Live over the past several seasons. It’s no surprise the gang brought the West Coast-based sketch back during NBC’s spectacular SNL 40 special. Even if you aren’t a fan of the sketch that pokes fun at Los Angeles’ penchant for describing travel routes, it’s worth it for one hysterical moment: Getting to watch Betty White make out with Bradley Cooper. You can catch it a little after the 8-minute mark.
That’s right, this version of “The Californians” features a pool boy named Craig (Cooper) who is given the opportunity to work in the home of the rich Californian family. The family is gearing up for an epic party, but unfortunately, one member of the family, Great Aunt Lana, got into a crazy hot air balloon accident and hasn’t been seen from since. In crazy soap opera fashion, Aunt Lana (White) does show up for the party and reveals she spent the time following her hot air balloon accident with the hot hot pool boy. Cue the above ridiculous kiss between the 93-year-old Betty White and 40-year-old Bradley Cooper.
The lengthy sketch also featured guest appearances from SNL alums Kristen Wiig, Fred Armisen, Laraine Newman and Bill Hader, along with other celebrity guest stars Kerry Washington and Taylor Swift. Here's the makeout scene in its full glory.
The sketch originally just started as a funny bit between Hader and Armisen, who used to use those over-the-top California impressions when describing their trips to Los Angeles. Over time, the comedy bit turned into a sketch and the sketch became a staple on the late night series, although it hasn’t been done over the last couple of years as the lineup has changed and alums including Wiig, Hader and Armisen have moved on to other projects. In fact, the only current cast members who appeared on the SNL 40 edition of the sketch were Taran Killam and Kenan Thompson—the latter is expected to leave the late night sketch series at the end of the year.
“The Californians” wasn’t the only sketch revisited during SNL 40 on Sunday night. We also got a brand new “digital short” from Andy Samberg and company, called “That’s When You Break.” Additionally, Will Ferrell and more were on hand for a rowdy game of “Celebrity Jeopardy” (that also included Jim Carrey’s epic Matthew McConaughey impression, among other highlights). Overall, it was a pretty satisfying night.
You can check out more highlights from SNL 40 over at NBC’s site.
