Jacob Elordi hosts “Saturday Night Live”

By Grace Catanese, Staff Writer

One of the most popular heartthrobs in television currently, Jacob Elordi, hosted “Saturday Night Live” (SNL) last Saturday.  He was joined by Renee Rapp as the musical guest with Megan Thee Stallion and Rachel McAdams also making appearances. 

There has been a lot of press coverage on this episode of SNL and the sketch-comedy show has seen an increase in Gen Z viewers, owing to Elordi and Rapp being popular in that generation. Junior education major Tori Cohen shared her thoughts on this.

“I definitely think having Jacob Elordi host SNL brought in different viewers, specifically Gen Z,” Cohen said. “I know that many people love him and would watch anything he is a part of.”

Senior biology major Elizabeth Lebashova illustrated Cohen’s assessment of SNL’s viewership. She is a part of Gen Z and has never seen an episode of SNL.

“I for one never watched SNL, just because I have no interest and I get bored easily while watching those kinds of shows,” Lebashova said. 

Many people can see that having popular celebrities amongst the newer generations on the show is SNL’s way of becoming timeless and bringing in fresh, new viewers because they are now becoming the age that something like SNL would interest them. 

Prior to this year, Elordi was mostly known for his roles in teen film and television, namely “The Kissing Booth” and “Euphoria.”  However, this year, he has been in several critically acclaimed films, such as “Priscilla” and “Saltburn,” leading to an increase in popularity and recognition from fans and critics. 

“I think he’s a good actor, but I’m not super in love with him,” senior business major Rebecca Margolin said. 

Cohen shared her thoughts on Elordi’s career trajectory.

“I do like Jacob Elordi,” Cohen said. “I like his role in ‘The Kissing Booth’ movies. I have always wanted to watch ‘Euphoria,’ as I know he has a prominent role in the show.”

During his episode of SNL, Elordi brought up many events that have recently been in the media, such as his film “Saltburn” and Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift’s relationship. He goes about these topics in a way that will keep his audience entertained and laughing. He makes many jokes about the works he has been in and he even did a bit where he lip-reads Kelce and Swift. This allowed him to be relatable to his viewers and connect with his audience, making for a smooth first-time hosting SNL. 

The new “Mean Girls” film starring Rapp came out in theaters recently This film differs from the original “Mean Girls” movie that came out in 2004 in that this one is based on the Broadway musical. Rapp portrays Regina George, who was originally played by Rachel McAdams. Megan Thee Stallion has also made a song for the film’s soundtrack, and even appears in the movie. 

Cohen shared her thoughts on the “Mean Girls” remake starring Rapp.

“I love ‘Mean Girls’ and have grown up watching the movies,” Cohen said. actually got the chance to see ‘Mean Girls’ on Broadway, but I don’t remember if Renee Rapp was Regina, as she wasn’t as famous around 2018. I haven’t seen the new movie but I’m looking forward to when I have time.”

Having three Regina George’s on SNL at once made for a large audience base.

“I love Megan Thee Stallion and I love Renee Rapp’s music but I haven’t seen her in ‘Mean Girls,’” Margolin said. 

This episode of SNL was very much geared towards Gen Z to get their attention. Many are excited to see what’s next for SNL and who they may have on in the future.