“Saturday Night Live” kicked off its first episode of 2022 by tackling the rising number of COVID-19 cases, as well as Elmo and Rocco’s feud.
The episode was hosted by actress Ariana DeBose and featured musical guest Bleachers. Aside from pulling from the headlines, “SNL” also parodied a reboot trailer of a 1990s sitcom.
Here are some of the notable sketches from the 10th episode of “Saturday Night Live” Season 47.
Cold Open
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The opening sketch put a spotlight on the rising number of COVID-19 cases fueled by the Omicron variant. President Biden, played by James Austin Johnson, was on hand to offer a resolution to the spread: stop watching “Spider-Man: No Way Home.”
“Now think about it, when did ‘Spider-Man’ come out?” he asked. “Dec. 17. When did every single person get Omicron? The week after Dec. 17. Stop seeing ‘Spider-Man.’ That’s really all I have to say.”
When Biden took questions from reporters, he was asked if he believed there was a version of himself in the multiverse that wants people to see “Spider-Man.”
“I’ve actually thought about this a lot. I’m consulting with Dr. Fauci and Dr. Strange. As far as I can tell, there are at least three Joe Bidens. One of them’s me. One of them is me, the Joe Biden that lost to Trump,” he said. “And then there’s a third Joe Biden, who’s the greatest president in history.”
Cast member Pete Davidson later appeared to reveal he was the real Biden and our universe was created as a joke when the Chicago Cubs won the World Series.
Urkel Reboot
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With the release of the trailer for the upcoming “Fresh Prince” series “Bel-Air,” “SNL” parodied a “Family Matters” reboot.
The mock trailer of “Urkel” showed the streets of Chicago and featured a less cheery version of Steve Urkel, played by Chris Redd.
“The goofy characters you loved in the 90s with absolutely none of the fun or the charm,” the voiceover said.
Although some of the storylines were familiar — Urkel has a crush on Laura Winslow, played by Ego Nwodim — it took a shocking turn when he saw her hanging out with another guy.
Urkel turns violent on Laura's male companion. In between punches, he delivers his catchphrase, “Did I do that?”
Weekend Update
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The fake news segment revisited the feud between “Sesame Street” puppet Elmo and Zoe’s pet rock, Rocco. The 2004 dispute went viral on Twitter earlier this month, with a clip of Elmo becoming upset after he wasn’t given a cookie because it was for the rock.
Elmo, played by Chloe Fineman, appeared alongside “Weekend Update” co-anchor Michael Che to admit he lost his cool and has since apologized to Rocco. However, things took a turn when Elmo learned Rocco was also invited to the show.
“What? Why does Rocco get a chair?” Elmo asked. “Rocco doesn’t need a chair. Rocco doesn’t even have legs! Rocco’s a rock! What is Rocco doing here?”
Things go downhill from there when it's revealed that Rocco was asked to be the host and musical guest next month. Elmo reached his breaking point after Che gave Rocco the last cookie.
Elmo pulled out a piece of paper to smother the pet rock. “That’s it! Paper covers rock. Prepare to die, Rocco!” Elmo yelled.
Former cast member Will Forte will host the next episode of "Saturday Night Live" with Maneskin as the musical guest.
Pictured [L-R]: Anchor Michael Che and Chloe Fineman as Elmo during “Weekend Update” on “Saturday Night Live.” Photo: Will Heath/NBC
