Dakota Johnson gets personal in SNL's best sketch of the night
By Matt Moore
Saturday Night Live host Dakota Johnson's best performance came playing as herself. The actress teamed up with Please Don't Destroy to deliver SNL's top sketch of the night.
Johnson returned to Studio 8H to host for the second time. Last time out, Johnson and SNL were heavily criticized for a controversial sketch. This time around didn't feature anything that didn't push the envelope. But that doesn't mean the comedy wasn't without some bite.
The Please Don't Destroy team (John Higgins, Ben Marshall, and Martin Herlihy) got back on the air and brought in Dakota Johnson for one of their best sketches of SNL season 49. The premise was simple: Johnson and PDD trading insults for three minutes.
Johnson started off by telling PDD their videos weren't for her. She then laughed off the idea of playing girlfriend to one of the writers. Things went to a new level when Johnson referred to the trio as "The Lonelier Island" to remind them of the true SNL digital short kings.
Please Don't Destroy fired back, going after Johnson's acting. But the Madame Web star came back stronger, roasting PDD for the poor reception of their movie The Treasure of Foggy Mountain.
Johnson eventually got the last laugh. Just when it looked like a truce was reached, Johnson deadpanned "I've always loved Workaholics."
The comedy group and actress briefly found some common ground when it came to nepotism. Johnson is the daughter of actors Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith. On the other side, John Higgins is the son of SNL producer and writer Steve Higgins. Martin Herlihy's dad Tim Herlihy was an SNL writer and producer in the '90s. The three put their hands together and chanted "A foot in the door, and so much more."
The nepo baby line served as the best example of Johnson being self-aware of her public perception. SNL is always better when the hosts are just as willing to laugh at themselves as anything else. PDD and Johnson played it perfectly.