The latest Saturday Night Live episode saw British actor Josh O’Connor make his hosting debut in a show that balanced quiet charm with big laughs from the cast. Lily Allen returned as the musical guest for the first time since 2007, bringing both music and a surprise cameo to the stage. While some sketches used the host as a quiet straight man, others let him lean into the internet’s image of him as a “soft boy” with memorable results.
Josh O’Connor Steps Into Studio 8H
Josh O’Connor opened the show by speaking about the unique pressure of hosting SNL, admitting he felt nervous in the lead-up. His monologue quickly turned to internet culture and the specific way fans see him. He joked about a persistent online rumor that he wants to star in a live-action version of Ratatouille.
“For the record, I don’t even want a live-action Ratatouille,” O’Connor said before changing his mind. “Sorry, for what it’s worth: I would kill as Linguini”.
He also poked fun at comparisons of his face to characters from the animated film Flushed Away. The monologue set a tone of self-aware humor, acknowledging his public persona as a gentle, artistic “soft boy” who would rather garden or scrapbook than do anything too intense.
Cast Members Take the Spotlight
A recurring theme of the night was the strong presence of core cast members, sometimes at the expense of giving O’Connor more to do. Ashley Padilla and Bowen Yang were featured heavily, appearing in multiple sketches back-to-back.
In one early sketch, “Let’s Find Love,” O’Connor played a contestant on a dating show. The joke was revealed when one of his three potential matches, played by Padilla, turned out to be an 84-year-old woman on a motorized scooter. Padilla’s character broke standard reality TV rules with loud, non-sequitur comments, often stealing focus.
Bowen Yang revived his popular “Dr. Please” character from a previous episode, playing a flamboyant and unconcerned doctor. O’Connor played his intern in the sketch, which mainly served as a backdrop for Yang’s outrageous lines and Padilla’s quick back-and-forth as a nurse.
The Night’s Biggest Sketch and a Kiss Count
The episode’s most talked-about sketch was “Bachelorette Party Strippers”. O’Connor and cast member Ben Marshall played Augie and Remington, strippers hired for a bachelorette party who were described as incredibly sensitive “soft boys”.
Dressed in beanies and cardigans, they carried a copy of the tragic novel A Little Life and offered affirmations like “You are enough” instead of typical stripper banter. Their performance included a slow, acoustic version of Ginuwine’s “Pony”. The sketch played on O’Connor’s known roles in films featuring queer relationships, ending with the two male strippers sharing a kiss. This contributed to what one review called the “Josh O’Connor SNL Kiss Count,” as he also kissed Marshall in the “Teaching Hospital” sketch earlier.
Lily Allen’s Musical Return and Dakota Johnson’s Cameo
Lily Allen‘s performance was a major moment, marking her first time as SNL musical guest in 18 years. She performed two songs from her new album West End Girl, which was released in October.
For her first song, “Sleepwalking,” the stage was set like an elegant bedroom. Her second performance of “Madeline” featured a special guest. As Allen sang, a figure was seen behind a sheer curtain performing the song’s spoken-word parts. At the song’s end, Dakota Johnson stepped out, revealing herself as the voice of “Madeline,” and shared a hug with Allen on stage.
Allen also appeared in a live sketch called “Lily Allen Brunch,” where a group of friends at a meal sang their inner thoughts in the style of her music. A impression of Allen by cast member Veronika Slowikowska was noted as particularly accurate.
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Other Sketches and Weekend Update Highlights
Not every sketch was a standout. A pre-recorded parody commercial for “Uber Eats Wrapped” — making fun of yearly music summaries by applying them to food delivery orders — was considered one of the night’s best bits, though O’Connor was not in it.
A sketch about deleted scenes from The Wizard of Oz featured O’Connor as the Tin Man but was criticized for relying on a single, extended joke. Another pre-taped segment was the second installment of the animated “Brad and His Dad,” which felt like filler to some reviewers.
On Weekend Update, co-anchor Colin Jost joked about former President Donald Trump, using a visual of a pill organizer to comment on his age. Cast member Marcello Hernández appeared at the desk to perform a segment of his stand-up comedy.
The standout Update feature was Jane Wickline’s musical commentary. She played a song that started as a warning about artificial intelligence but suddenly switched to joking about the real global threat: the grown-up child stars of Stranger Things having too much free time now that their show is ending.
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