Saturday Night Live has a rich history of bringing in musicians to do double duty on the show, meaning they are both the musical guest and the host of an episode. The Season 48 lineup of hosts has already included two, with Megan Thee Stallion on October 15, and now with the incredibly popular rapper Jack Harlow tonight, and it looks like he is going to be really funny.
While Harlow has appeared once before as the musical guest on the classic sketch comedy show, this will be his first time walking down the stairs to give his monologue as host. Admittedly, I was a bit confused by this choice. I know Jack Harlow as a rapper 20-somethings fawn over, who is known for his mega hits like “First Class” and "WHATS POPPIN." I’ve never really seen him do anything else. However, the ads they’ve released for the show have swayed me, and now I can’t wait to see what the rapper has in store. Check it out:
I was so pleasantly surprised by this little preview. Seeing as this will be the Halloween episode, Kenan Thompson and Marcello Hernandez joke about Harlow’s white fit, asking if he's dressed up as a “sexy yeti,” a “pimp on a cruise ship,” an “almost historically accurate Jesus,” and more, before the rapper says it’s just his outfit. He then gets in the elevator and says “Meryl Streep, obviously.” And I can’t exactly explain why, but I legit laughed out loud once those elevator doors closed.
In a second ad, they announced the comeback of Cecily Strong, who hadn’t appeared in the first few episodes, and Harlow once again showed off his comedic timing while awkwardly holding her hand. So, between these two ads, I’ve become fairly optimistic that Harlow could join the short list of musicians who also rock the hosting gig at SNL.
Clearly, he’s got the comedic timing to succeed on the show, and it seems like he’s willing to commit to a bit, which is super important in creating successful sketches. I’m stoked to see what they do with him on this episode, and who knows it could go down as one of the best episodes of the season.
Now, I know that’s a big statement. However, in the past double-duty episodes have proved to be some of the best hosts in a given season. Musicians are typically able to transfer their stage presence over to comedy, and their commitment is phenomenal. During Season 47 hosts who doubled as musical guests included Billie Eilish and Lizzo, who both killed it. There’s a rich history of double-duty hosts, and Harlow will join the ranks of iconic stars like Paul Simon and Justin Timberlake as well as modern classics like Harry Styles, Donald Glover and Chance the Rapper.
Along with SNL the 24-year-old rapper is taking a bigger leap into acting, as he has been cast in the remake of White Men Can’t Jump, in the role made famous by Woody Harrelson. Between this hosting gig and the upcoming remake, it's exciting to see the musician step outside his comfort zone.
You can watch Harlow on SNL tonight at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBC or the next day with a Peacock subscription. Also, make sure to check out the 2022 TV schedule to stay up to date on when new episodes of the classic sketch show come out.
