‘SNL’ leaned into Ryan Gosling’s giggles in his fourth stint as host

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They knew he was going to break. And they leaned into it.

The recent episode of “Saturday Night Live” hosted by Ryan Gosling felt less like a traditional show and more like an inside joke among the cast and crew. However, despite this, it was surprisingly enjoyable, likely due to Gosling’s natural charisma and the humor that came from him repeatedly breaking character – something he also did when he hosted two years ago.

Ryan Gosling largely remained composed during his opening monologue, playfully focusing on next week’s host and musical guest, Harry Styles, who was in the audience. Styles’ effortless cool was clearly distracting Gosling. However, things quickly became silly when Gosling attempted to play a wildly dressed wedding crasher whose constant tapping of his glasses was meant to encourage kissing between the bride, groom, and other guests.

Ryan Gosling appeared in a funny sketch where he played one of three incredibly silly cyclops who struggled with simple riddles. The sketch was so amusing that Ashley Padilla, normally very composed, burst into uncontrollable laughter alongside Gosling. They also played a teacher and principal in another sketch, reading notes aloud that had been secretly changed since rehearsal, which led to both of them cracking up. It was one of the first sketches on “SNL” in a while where it seemed like the performers themselves were being playfully tricked.

Ryan Gosling largely remained in character as a frustrated hotel guest upset about being charged for visits from the “Goo Goo Man.” He had fewer chances to show off his comedic energy in pre-recorded segments, including a dark and melancholy parody of Willy Wonka and a bizarre sketch about a psoriasis treatment called “Otezla.”

How much you liked the episode probably depended on how much you enjoy seeing the “SNL” cast playfully break character and make each other laugh. Ryan Gosling is a seasoned host – this was his fourth time – so it felt natural and expected when things got a little silly.

The show ended with a funny video sketch called “Lies” by Martin Herlihy from the Please Don’t Destroy group. In the sketch, Herlihy impersonated Colin Jost by wearing a large mask that looked just like him, specifically modeled after his appearance on “Weekend Update.”

Gorillaz played a set including their classic song “Clint Eastwood,” featuring Del the Funky Homosapien, and a performance of their new song “The Moon Cave” with Asha Puthli, Anoushka Shankar, and Black Thought. The show also included a tribute to Sandy Wernick, Adam Sandler’s manager, who recently passed away.

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Pete Hegseth, acting as Secretary of Defense, opened the show with a playful entrance – a mock keg stand with Sprite – before discussing the situation in Iran. He used strong language, comparing U.S. actions toward Iran to aggressively shutting down a car’s breathalyzer and even paraphrasing the lyrics of the song “Last Resort” to illustrate his point. He described the U.S. involvement in Iran as an undefined “situationship,” suggesting the U.S. might shift its focus to Cuba if it loses interest. After mentioning pop culture references like “Grand Theft Auto,” Megan Fox’s Instagram return, and a “Family Guy” character, Hegseth introduced former Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, jokingly saying she had been “reassigned under the bus.” Noem, playing along, claimed she hadn’t been fired but had chosen to leave and would be working from a WeWork space near Denver. She followed up with a series of quirky statements, including a comment about ongoing plastic surgery and a darkly humorous line about not being able to succeed without taking action. Overall, the opening segment was a welcome change of pace, as it didn’t feature the usual lengthy monologue by President Trump.

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During a rehearsal, Ryan Gosling started performing a song about Earth, complete with a planetary model, but quickly got sidetracked when Harry Styles, who will host “SNL” next week, caught his eye. Styles said he was just checking things out. Soon, cast members – including Sarah Sherman and a cameraman openly showing his support with an “I (Heart) Harry” shirt – were clearly starstruck. This distraction proved too much for Gosling, who had to stop a large musical number involving the entire cast in silver spacesuits. He even began singing a song from his movie “Project Hail Mary” before realizing it was actually a Harry Styles hit. In mock despair, Gosling exclaimed, “I’m just Ken!” The cast comforted him, with Mikey Day even giving him a kiss on the cheek, which made Gosling burst into laughter. Gosling thanked Kenan Thompson for his support, to which Thompson jokingly replied that they were all there to get a good look at Harry Styles.

Best sketch of the night: Riddle me this, why are these cyclops so dumb?

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I just watched this hilarious sketch based on a book called “The Treasure of Darlor,” and it was so funny! Basically, Ryan Gosling plays the leader of three cyclops who need to get past two maidens – Jenna Padilla and Veronika Slowikowska – to reach a cave and find the treasure. The problem? These cyclops are unbelievably bad at riddles! The maidens are supposed to be freed once a riddle is solved, but they can’t even get the cyclops to try to solve them correctly, and they just keep making awful guesses. It was clear Gosling and Padilla started ad-libbing pretty quickly, but honestly, the characters were already so goofy and dim-witted that it didn’t even matter! It ended up being wonderfully chaotic and funny as they just went around in circles, misunderstanding everything. It was a mess, but a hilarious mess!

Also good: No notes. Seriously, no more notes, please

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The sketch wasn’t a huge hit with viewers, but it was surprisingly funny to watch unfold. The premise involved last-minute joke changes – the cast and host didn’t even know what they were reading! – which injected energy into what would have been a typical scene about a teacher and principal dealing with misbehaving students. Normally, Padilla is unflappable, but being caught off guard with unfamiliar lines caused her to stumble, and Gosling didn’t stand a chance. While the new jokes weren’t all brilliant, they were effective enough to make both performers – and eventually the audience – laugh uncontrollably.

‘Weekend Update’ winner: Pastor Update was really itemizing those backstage snacks

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A recent sketch featuring Kenan Thompson as Pastor Update – the official pastor of “Weekend Update,” accompanied by his bandleader Teddy – offered a humorous take on life’s simple pleasures, like catered snacks and attractive women. When Michael Che requested a more positive message, Pastor Update playfully turned the tables, offering a ‘prayer’ for Che to stop looking at inappropriate content online. He described Che’s laptop as being so full of viruses that it sounded like a lawnmower trying to start.

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2026-03-08 11:31