‘SNL’ Recap: Nate Bargatze Made His Hosting Debut With More Than A Little Help From Foo Fighters

Asking stand-up comedian Nate Bargatze to host Saturday Night Live wasn’t the craziest idea Lorne Michaels ever had (see: Elon Musk, Donald Trump, Michael Phelps, etc.). Michaels has seen Bargatze in the building several times already, as the comedian is Jimmy Fallon’s professed favorite stand-up to book on his Late Night and Tonight shows. And in that time, Bargatze has become popular enough to snag a Grammy nomination (two years ago, for The Greatest Average American), star in a network sitcom pilot (ABC passed in 2020) and now touring arenas. I also suggested his 2023 special, Hello World, should earn Bargatze his first Golden Globe nod. His recent stint selling out multiple nights at Radio City Music Hall across the street from 30 Rock might’ve sealed the deal for Lorne’s invite. You know what would be a crazy booking that would make just as much sense for Lorne to host SNL, though? Shane Gillis. In the meantime…

What’s The Deal For The SNL Cold Open For Last Night (10/28/23)?

This week’s actual crazy idea was replacing James Austin Johnson with Mikey Day to impersonate President Joe Biden in the cold open. We need the hot goss on that, stat! This also makes Day’s second consecutive starring role in the open, as he portrayed failed wannabe House Speaker Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) last Saturday.

But what’s the point of Day as Biden now? Is this because he’ll be haunted by JAJ as Trump later in the sketch? Alas, nope. Are we supposed to worry more or laugh more at the prospect of Day as the 80-year-old president climbing a ladder to adorn Halloween decorations in the Oval Office? Boo Back Boo-er is a joke based you on remembering a slogan and legislation from years ago. There’s an SNL introduction to new House Speaker Mike Johnson (played taller by Michael Longfellow), but seemingly only to remind America that Johnson has an adult Black son who’s only 11 years younger than him and not actually adopted, just to also remind us of how well the real story from The Blind Side turned out. Thank you, Devon Walker.

Which leads us to this week’s installment of…

Who Made Surprise Celebrity Cameos?

No David S. Pumpkins this year. Sorry, Tom Hanks fans. But how about Papa Pumpkin, in the form of Christopher Walken, an ACTUAL 80-YEAR-OLD! His line reading of “smell my feet” when he recites a Halloween poem is worth it.

SNL is truly a variety show what with all the cameos this season. We shouldn’t be surprised by multiple Dave Grohl appearances in sketches, as he and his Foo Fighters are Lorne’s favorite musical guests, just by the numbers. But Padma Lakshmi‘s walk-on during a Top Chef-like spoof is pretty much the only reason to pay attention to the otherwise one-joke premise of the Chef Showdown sketch. We also were pleasantly surprised to see and hear H.E.R. join Foo Fighters for their performance of “The Glass.”

How Did The Guest Host Nate Bargatze Do?

“I’m as shocked as you are that I’m here,” Bargatze told us to open his monologue. The show gave him nine-and-a-half minutes to play with, though, and so he spent much of it joking about how life for his 11-year-old daughter when she turns his age, 44, will be so different. It couldn’t possibly be anything like when young Nate watched his magician father try to compete with high-diving donkeys at the Wilson County Fair (did you know pre-Internet, people also thought they could box orangutans?), or realizing his dad has used Afrin for decades longer than the suggested three-day prescription. Bargatze has mocked his own intelligence and lack of education for much of his career, and continued that in his monologue, pointing out that he’s not big on reading because of all the words, and sits on the edge of his seat watching a historical movie since he doesn’t know how it’ll turn out.

No wonder, then, that the sketch that showcased him best was set in the past, trying to explain the future! It casts Bargatze as Revolutionary Army Commander (and future President) George Washington, rallying his troops in 1777 with his own dream speech. Only his dream is about how uniquely weird America’s systems of weights and measurements will be. “How many liters are in a gallon, sir?” “Nobody knows!” Which somehow leads to him attempting to explain American football to soldiers more than a century removed from the inception of that sport.

The night’s other standout sketch starts with Bargatze and Ego Nwodim (who also co-starred in the chef showdown sketch) handing out candy to Halloween kids trick-or-treating. But wait! Enter Sarah Sherman as SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher! On the one hand, why is she trying to extrapolate SAG’s suggestion for its own actors on how to avoid strike-busting Halloween costumes to the rest of us and our kids? If it results in a young girl pretending to be drunk Hoda Kotb, we’ll allow it, I guess?!? The kids get to do a lot more in this sketch than anyone outside of Sherman’s Drescher. And just when it starts to feel as though the sketch is anti-union, Sherman saves it from that fate by explaining SAG’s position using Halloween candy, specifically Kit-Kat bars.

I almost forgot to mention the Hallmark Channel Halloween spoof, because it was just that kind of forgettable.

How Relevant Was The Musical Guest Foo Fighters?

This was Grohl’s 14th appearance on SNL, and ninth with his band (he also did two SNLs with Nirvana and three other stints on the drum kits for other guests). They performed two songs from their new album, “But Here We Are,” the aforementioned “The Glass” with H.E.R., as well their first single from it, “Rescued.” Grohl also added musical and comic relief to the music video for “Lake Beach” and also delivers the kicker for the airplane sketch.

Can we talk about how SNL’s airplane only has first class seats? Or is that a debate that comes after what’s the second-hardest job besides doctor?

Who Stopped By Weekend Update?

Sarah Sherman found a new way to taunt Colin Jost, by playing his agent, J.J., with news on what kinds of acting offers Jost might expect once the strike ends? “Our options are limited, bud!” 

What Sketch Filled The “10-to-1” Slot? Was It A Please Don’t Destroy Video?

Yes. At 12:54 a.m. Eastern, it’s time for another late-night check-in on the boys from Please Don’t Destroy, and this week, Ben Marshall was shocked to learn that John Higgins and Martin Herlihy have signed up for a new meal prep service called DAWG food. Which is just dog food. “For them dawgs who don’t want to cook!” Looks dangerous.

The RIP card for Higgins is kinda wild, juxtaposed with the last-minute addition of a card for Matthew Perry, the former NBC comedy star who died Saturday night at age 54. The SNL card for Perry didn’t include any of that information.

The show has a bye week, and will return Nov. 11 with Timothée Chalamet hosting and boygenius performing.

Sean L. McCarthy works the comedy beat for his own digital newspaper, The Comic’s Comic; before that, for actual newspapers. Based in NYC but will travel anywhere for the scoop: Ice cream or news. He also podcasts with comedians sharing their origin stories at The Comic’s Comic Presents Last Things First.