Last week, Tesla founder Elon Musk took the Saturday Night Live stage to perform in the show’s most talked-about episode of the season. Tonight, in the second to last episode of season 46, comedian and actor Keegan-Michael Key will appear as host with musical guest Olivia Rodrigo.
Key is most known for starring in the Comedy Central sketch show Key and Peele, which attracted a large fanbase for the duo. The official YouTube channel made for the series currently has over 2.91 million subscribers and over 1.3 billion views.
He also appeared in another Comedy Central program, Reno 911, an unscripted satirical take on the Fox show Cops. Key has also appeared as a guest on the improvisational comedy show Whose Line is it Anyway? and had a recurring role on NBC’s Parks and Recreation.
But Key first gained prominence in the comedy world for being a cast member of the sketch comedy television show MADtv. There, he met his future Key and Peele co-star, Jordan Peele. While former SNL cast members Taran Killam, Jeff Richards, and Terry Sweeney had also worked for the rival series, Key will be the first MADTv cast member to host the show.
Dreams do come true @nbcsnl pic.twitter.com/TC4VdmOCG6
— Keegan-Michael Key (@KeeganMKey) May 3, 2021
Prior to being tapped as host for tonight’s episode, Key had starred in the Netflix comedy Friends from College and recently hosted two game shows, Brain Games and Game On! He will be starring alongside SNL cast member Cecily Strong in the upcoming Apple TV+ series Schmigadoon! set to premiere July 16th. He will also voicing a character in the upcoming animated film Wendell and Wild and the upcoming Disney film Pinocchio.
In this episode promo, SNL cast member Kate McKinnon proclaims that Key’s episode will be the “best SNL in 46 years”
Watch the full promo below:
Will host Keegan-Michael Key be able to keep up on Saturday Night Live?
With Key’s highly skilled ability to perform improvisation and the long-list of credits on his resume, there’s no doubt that a sketch comedy veteran such as Key will have what it takes to deliver worthwhile performances on Saturday Night Live. My prediction is that Key will be featured quite heavily in sketches due to his ability to impersonate people.On MADtv, Key did a wide range of impressions including President Barack Obama, Snoop Dogg, Al Roker, and SNL alum Eddie Murphy (whom he starred alongside in the film Dolemite Is My Name ).
Something viewers might not know about Key is that he is also a trained dramatic and theater actor, having received a MFA in Theater from Penn State University and appeared in the Broadway production of Steve Martin’s play Meteor Shower. It’s apparent that Key’s theatrical background and training definitely informed his skillset as a multifaceted performer.
I’m expecting to see Key light up the stage tonight with a variety of performances. Viewers know that he has what it takes to do impressions. Tonight might be the best chance to see him to do original characters as well.
Olivia Rodrigo comes to Saturday Night Live as the musical guest
Olivia Rodrigo’s career began when she appeared as a series regular on Disney Channel’s teen comedy show, Bizardvaark. It was there that the singer was able to develop her comedic sensibilities as well as showcase her musical talent.
She also starred on the Disney+ show, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series and co-wrote the song “All I Want” for the show’s soundtrack. SNL has done parodies of the teen musical franchise in the past so there’s a good chance that it will be a part of a featured sketch tonight.
Rodrigo made major headlines after the release of her single ‘Driver’s License’ which SNL paid homage to in the Rege-Jean Page-hosted episode.
Ahead of the tonight’s episode, the singer dropped the music video for her song “good 4 u” which she announced will be performed on the show. Her upcoming debut album, Sour, will be released on May 21st. Rodrigo’s presence in the show will definitely help SNL bring in a younger audience.
What are your predictions for this week’s episode of Saturday Night Live with Keegan-Michael Key and Olivia Rodrigo? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below and be sure to check back with Last Night On for a full recap of the best sketches.