Super Bowl LVIII is in just a matter of weeks, and the buzz is really starting to kick into high gear. While there are plenty of fans excited to witness the matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers, others may be a bit more concerned with the commercials that will air during that block of time. As has been the case over the past several years, a number of the TV spots have already dropped online in their entirety. One star who will be lighting up the festivities with their presence is Kate McKinnon, who’s starring in a “Mayo Cat” advert. The segment is definitely chuckle worthy, but what I’m really loving is the cameo from Pete Davidson.
Leave it to someone as quirky as Kate McKinnon to headline such a random – but funny – commercial. The Saturday Night Live icon teamed up with Hellmann's to promote the brand’s famous mayonnaise. This spot begins with McKinnon fretting over what to do with her leftovers, before her adorable cat says “meow.” The comedian misconstrues the response as “mayo,” but is still inspired to use the condiment. With that, McKinnon eventually props up her feline as top-tier spokesperson (or animal?) for the company. The eventual fame the kitten receives is what leads to the cameo from the other previously mentioned SNL alum. Take a look:
I mentioned this already but, seriously, that’s one adorable cat – and this is coming from someone who’s more of a dog person. The concept of this ad is very fun and falls in line with the kind of fare viewers usually see during the big game. Quite frankly, it’s just great to see Kate McKinnon have some fun on the small screen after her glorious turn as a Barbie cast member. Aside from that though, we really need to talk about the playful way that the King of Staten Island star was inserted into this 60-second promo.
As you saw in the TV spot above, Pete Davidson was shown to be dating the cat at the center of the situation. That was clearly a nod to Davidson’s long line of girlfriends, who he’s dated for varying stretches of time. Kate Beckinsale, Ariana Grande and Emily Ratajkowski are just a few of the major starlets that he’s been romantically linked to. At this point, much of the public seems well aware of the comic’s active love life, and he himself is very self-aware about it. He even poked fun at it in his “I’m Just Ken” parody, which debuted when he returned to SNL as a host last year. I appreciate the fact that he can willingly poke fun at himself.
When seeing both Pete Davidson and Kate McKinnon together, it’s hard not to think about the fact that neither of them are on NBC’s storied sketch comedy series anymore. News broke in May 2022 that Davidson was leaving the show after eight seasons and, just on the heels of that, it was confirmed that McKinnon would exit as well after a 10-season run. The two are greatly missed, though they’re thankfully still working quite consistently. After Barbie, McKinnon is moving on to the Minecraft movie as well as the science fiction film In the Blink of an Eye. And, last year, Davidson marked the debut of his Peacock dramedy, Bupkis, and he now has upcoming movies The Home and Wizards! on the docket.
It’s very much a novelty to have these two stars appear in the same production these days – even if they don’t actually share a scene in the commercial. Still, I’ll take it and will continue to hope that they’ll reteam for a movie or TV show one of these days. Until that happens, I’ll simply take delight in Mayo Cat.
You can catch this commercial and more during Super Bowl LVIII, when it’s broadcast on Sunday, February 11 at 6:30 p.m. ET as part of the 2024 TV schedule. Fans of Kate McKinnon and Pete Davidson can also revisit their work on Saturday Night Live by streaming past seasons with a Peacock subscription.
