Watch: 'S.N.L.' Dives into the Queer Fascination of 'M3GAN'... and George Santos
This past weekend's "Saturday Night Live" boasted Sam Smith, Aubrey Plaza, and parodic riffs on "M3GAN" and George Santos, possibly making it the queerest "SNL" since... well, ever.
"The sketch comedy program leaned into the recent news of Universal Pictures ordering a direct sequel (aptly-titled "M3GAN 2.0," it's scheduled for release in early 2025), as well as the titular character's newfound status as a gay icon," Yahoo! Entertainment reported.
"'M3GAN' is a box office powerhouse which has captivated one demographic above all: Gay men," an "SNL" sketch, styled as a faux movie trailer, noted. "So now we're slapping together a sequel which promises to be even more gay."
"Parks and Recreation" and "White Lotus" alum Aubrey Plaza hosted the show — a first for her — and played the upgraded cybernetic killer, pairing with the OG model — played by Chloe Fineman — for a dance party at a gay club. The two iterations of the AI doll displayed a TikTok-ready dance to rival the routine the first movie features.
When one party goer hints that he plans to make an early night of it, the new and improved M3GAN pipes up, "Should you go home? Or should we go to the drag show at Motherload and get high on poppers?" A door on her midriff pops open to reveal vials of the drug with labels like "Hard Slam," "Party Pop," and "Vibez."
The skit comes complete with fake pull quotes, including this gem ascribed to Variety: "It's like 'Bros,' but for gays."
"M3GAN" star Allison Williams even shows up for a cameo in which her warnings about the cybernetic dolls go unheeded because the club's patrons were too excited about her turn on "Girls."
"Mama, if you're getting your ass ate on TV, you're an ally, sis!" Bowen Yang enthuses, before a dance mix of the "White Lotus" theme starts up and the party resumes. Both "Girls" and "White Lotus" included scenes that depicted rimming.
"SNL" also parodied "White Lotus" with a "Black Lotus" segment that sent up the recent second season of HBO's satirical anthology show, noted The New York Times.
The episode's emphasis on "M3GAN" and its references to "Girls and "White Lotus" were paralleled by nonbinary musical guest Sam Smith, as well as Bowen Yang's impersonations of openly gay Republican congressman George Santos, whose massive fabrications about his family history, heritage, qualifications, and work experience have sparked ongoing questions — some even from Republican leadership, though most GOP lawmakers have chosen to ignore the issue — and made an ethics probe likely.
Bowen Yang did an impression of Santos posing as an NFL commentator who spun dubious stories of his athletic accomplishments, The Hill recounted.
"The hosts joked that Santos was the first player in NFL history to lead the league in passing and rushing yards at the same time," The Hill detailed.
"'I am proud to be the first African American quarterback to ever dunk a football,' the fake Santos said."
Later in the show, Yang appeared again as Santos during the popular Weekend Update segment, in which Yang repeated the embattled congressman's claim "that he was not Jewish but 'Jew-ish,'" adding that that bit of verbal sleight-of-hand "was honestly icon-ic."
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