Can Dua Lipa handle hosting SNL? 1 sketch from 2020 says yes
By Matt Moore
Saturday Night Live will air a brand new episode tonight, May 4. Pop star Dua Lipa will host for the first time as she pulls double duty. And while there are questions about whether Lipa can keep up with SNL, one sketch from 2020 suggests she'll be just fine.
Lipa is no stranger to Saturday Night Live (or late-night TV). She has been to Studio 8H multiple times as a musical guest. But tonight will be very different as she's asked to stay in the spotlight from the monologue through the closing credits.
Lipa joins Bad Bunny as the only other host/musical guest combo for season 49. She comes to SNL fresh off her acting debut in Argylle. Despite featuring heavily in the marketing, Lipa's role is relatively small. Maybe that's for the best as critics didn't exactly fall head over heels for Argylle.
So what else can be used to predict how Dua Lipa will perform on Saturday Night Live? The answer is a 2020 sketch with a Lipa cameo.
Lipa served as the musical guest for Kristen Wiig's 2020 episode. In addition to performing two songs, Lipa unexpectedly popped up in the "U.S.O. Performance" sketch alongside Wiig and Bowen Yang.
The sketch was the type of over-the-top and absurd comedy one would expect from a Wiig-Yang collaboration. So when Lipa appears three minutes into the sketch, things are already off the rails with the audience eating out of Wiig and Yang's hands.
Lipa certainly doesn't detract from the sketch, nor does it feel like a forced cameo. Instead, she perfectly matches the tone set by Wiig and Yang. The bit also suggests that Lipa is willing to dive headfirst into an odd sketch. Performing alongside Wiig and Yang leaves no room to be embarrassed. Instead, it seemed like Lipa embraced it and perfectly played along.
The experience, albeit a brief one, should help Lipa as she steps into the host role and is asked to carry the show. Yang and writers left over from 2020 know that she's game for a sketch like "U.S.O. Performance." Since her cameo, Lipa has only become a bigger star and more experienced performer. Added up, she should be more than capable of holding her own on Saturday Night Live.
We'll see if Dua Lipa still feels the same way about sketch comedy tonight. Saturday Night Live airs at 11:35 p.m. ET on NBC. The show is also available on Peacock.