Bad Bunny kicked off Season 51 of “Saturday Night Live” with a bilingual monologue that referenced his upcoming gig as the Super Bowl halftime show headliner — and the right-wing backlash to the announcement.
“I’m very happy,” he said of the opportunity. “And I think everyone is happy about it. Even Fox News.”
“SNL” then played a supercut of clips from the conservative news channel, which has criticized the NFL for booking a Spanish-language artist, calling special attention to Bad Bunny’s recent comments about not playing the United States on his latest tour because of fears relating to his fans encountering ICE. But instead of airing news clips of Laura Ingraham and Sean Hannity, “SNL” chopped up the conservative anchors’ comments to make them say, collectively: “Bad Bunny is my favorite musician, and he should be the next president.”
Bad Bunny then delivered some heartfelt remarks in his native tongue, offering thanks to those who are genuinely excited for his upcoming Super Bowl performance. “Especially all of the Latinos and Latinas in the world here in the United States who have worked to open doors,” Bad Bunny said in Spanish. “It’s more than a win for myself, it’s a win for all of us. Our footprints and our contribution in this country, no one will ever be able to take that away or erase it.”
Then, back to English, Bad Bunny said cheekily: “If you didn’t understand what I just said, you have four months to learn.”
The monologue also featured a special guest, “SNL” favorite Jon Hamm — or, in Bad Bunny’s words, “Juan Jamón.” Bad Bunny introduced a clip of Hamm dancing at one of his recent concerts before the camera cut to Hamm in the Studio 8H audience, clad in a button-up shirt, sunglasses and bucket hat.
After a landmark 50th season, “SNL” returned on Oct. 4 with Bad Bunny and musical guest Doja Cat. On Oct. 11, Amy Poehler comes back to Studio 8H to host alongside music act Role Model, and on Oct. 18, Sabrina Carpenter will pull double-duty as host and musical guest.
Ahead of the new season, “SNL” added a handful of new cast members and writers as a slew of familiar faces departed from the show. Heidi Gardner exited the series after eight seasons, while Ego Nwodim announced her exit after seven. Also absent are Michael Longfellow, Devon Walker, Emil Wakim and Please Don’t Destroy’s John Higgins, as Martin Herlihy moves to the writing staff and Ben Marshall joins the main cast. New to the cast are Jeremy Culhane, Kam Patterson, Veronika Slowikowska and Tommy Brennan.