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Ego Nwodim: The Upside of Making SNL While Losing Our Minds in Quarantine

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Just a few days prior to the lockdown in March 2020, I celebrated my birthday. Before joining Saturday Night Live (SNL) in autumn 2018, I had been making a name for myself as a comedian within the Los Angeles comedy circuit, and by early 2020, I hadn’t quite felt like a New York resident yet. Following my birthday dinner organized by Heidi Gardner and attended by other SNL cast members, I was strolling back to my studio apartment in Midtown when, as I got nearer to home, I looked up and noticed the New Yorker sign shining brightly against the city skyline in red lights. I let out a sigh, “Ah, yes. How fitting. I believe I’ve now become a true New Yorker.

The bubble burst in less than two days, leaving me holed up in my studio apartment, which is situated uncomfortably near Port Authority. Even on a typical day, this location isn’t ideal for someone who knows New York City; during a pandemic, it’s even worse. Moreover, if you are familiar with both the city and me personally, I’m still disappointed that you didn’t warn me before I signed my lease.

During a two-week lockdown that coincided with our planned break, it was uncertain when or if we’d resume filming new episodes of SNL. It seems someone made a decision, as we were informed that we’d be creating sketches from our homes instead. Indeed, these were strange times. Neither me nor my fellow cast members knew what to expect or how it would pan out, but we adapted. We soon realized that “at-home episodes” meant exactly that: they weren’t live broadcasts, but skits shot on our personal devices and directed over Zoom. This change eliminated the usual Monday night pitch meeting, writing session, table read, blocking – at least for the first two home-produced episodes. (Though I believe we had a table read for our final home episode, and I recall this because there’s probably a sweet screenshot of us all on Zoom from that day.)

In these series of episodes, we served as our own lighting technicians and cameramen. Kudos to our exceptional editors who managed to transform the subpar videos we recorded at home into something watchable. I’ve always known they were fantastic and an essential part of our work at SNL, but it was in creating these home-based episodes that I truly appreciated just how indispensable their efforts are in making us look professional and presenting comedy that doesn’t strain the eyes. The same goes for our studio crew. It was during these episodes that I fully realized the extent of what they do to simplify our tasks and keep SNL running smoothly. The crew on set is like a crucial lubricant. One day, I will share tales of the frequent breakdowns I experienced in that studio apartment while attempting to dismantle the enormous green screen that the show had sent for us to use. Those breakdowns were likely due to other factors, but I prefer to attribute them to the green screen.

As a devoted cinephile, I’d like to share an unexpected gem that found its way onto my favorite show during those challenging times. Interestingly, it wasn’t designed to be part of the series, nor did it feature my iconic green screen adversary. This light-hearted piece is now known as “Quarantine Cutie,” but at its inception, it was simply a series of humorous Instagram Stories, crafted as a source of comfort during the early days of lockdown.

In this video, I found myself using a harmless Crayola marker to adorn my face and offer an unconventional beauty tutorial – orchestrated by a woman who, due to the unprecedented circumstances of the pandemic (quarantine, shortages of supplies), had exhausted every last shred of her sanity. Naturally, this left her with no makeup as well!

The unusual orientation of the video may be off-putting for television audiences, but it’s important to remember that it wasn’t intended for broadcast. Shot in portrait mode on Instagram, it was a humorous expression of a woman’s descent into quarantine madness and her surrender to the whimsical side that had taken control.

I don’t post much on social media because it’s not something I usually do. In fact, when I found myself taking a shower and thinking, “Why not be carefree?”, I realized that since I wasn’t sure if I would ever meet people in person again, I didn’t see the point of worrying about what others thought of me online. At that moment, I was simply enjoying an experience for myself, as were my fellow cast members during the pandemic, even though we tried to bring some entertainment to our audience. We were just regular people living through a challenging and unprecedented time together.

People have expressed their gratitude that we continued to appear on the show during those times, even when the episodes weren’t perfect. They acknowledge that the shows weren’t the best, but they valued having us there as a source of comfort, even if it wasn’t just for laughs. In difficult moments, it became clear how much people rely on SNL for some sense of solace and relief, however slight. By simply producing the episodes, we provided a sense of companionship, letting people know they weren’t alone, and maybe, just maybe, things would eventually be alright. We took a moment to search for joy and remember the power of laughter, bringing a bit of lightness during a very challenging period. (As reported by Olivia B. Waxman)

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2025-02-12 16:06

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