The first episode of Saturday Night Live‘s 49th season aired on October 14, with former cast member Pete Davidson hosting, joined by musical guest and Bronx native, Ice Spice. The show had been on hold due to the recently ended Writers Guild of America strike.
Opening the show with an uncharacteristically serious message, Davidson discussed the events in Israel and Gaza, comparing the recent terrorist attacks to those of 9/11, when Davidson’s father Scott, a firefighter, was killed in the tragic events of that day. It was comedy – Eddie Murphy’s Delirious – that helped Pete deal with the childhood trauma he endured, and with saying that, Davidson shared he would try to be funny this evening.
And try he did, with a few fresh sketches – Wired Autocomplete Interview, Beach Day and Secretary – plus topical sketches including FOX NFL Sunday pregame coverage, where the hosts cannot stop talking about Taylor Swift, regardless of her lack of connection to football.
Davidson didn’t appear as Chad or at the Weekend Update desk as he would while a cast member, instead dialing all his energy into “I’m Just Pete,” a parody of “I’m Just Ken” from this summer’s Barbie movie. Self-deprecating to the core, Pete makes light of himself and criticisms of his character in a poignant and hilarious digital short.
Ice Spice served as musical guest for the first time on Saturday Night Live, having gained a following for her unique voice and style of rapping. This past week, the Bronx-native rapper won big at the 2023 BET Hip-Hop Awards for Best Breakthrough hip-hop artist, and coming up in November, she will open select dates for Doja Cat.
Standing stiffly on the Studio 8H stage, an LED box was created around Ice, with two dancers flanking her with a low LED ceiling and dancefloor, while she sang her hit “In Ha Mood.”
Ice Spice’s second song this evening was introduced surprisingly by Taylor Swift, with her new song “Pretty Girl” on, with Nigerian singer Rema joining her for a duet.
SNL returns on October 21 with host and musical guest, Bad Bunny.
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