Kate McKinnon Joins Ariana DeBose For A West Side Story Themed Monologue, Pete Davidson Jokes About His Love Life, & More On SNL!

Saturday Night Live returned for its first episode of 2022 – thankfully without another coronavirus outbreak amongst the cast members!

Unfortunately, Miss. Rona did end up costing the late-night series its original musical guest Roddy Rich, who tested positive earlier this week. But as they say, the show must go on – and Jack Antonoff‘s Bleachers ended up stepping in for the evening. West Side Story’s Ariana DeBose made her hosting debut on Saturday and brought in her amazing talent to the Studio 8H stage for a jam-packed night of comedy!

Kick-starting the episode, Pete Davidson couldn’t help but gush over his “fun” year so far amid his relationship with Kim Kardashian. In the cold open, James Austin Johnson’s Joe Biden went on a rant about how the massive spread of the Omicron variant was all thanks to Spider-Man: No Way Home and everyone should stop seeing it. He said:

“Think about it. When did Spider-Man come out? December 17th. When did every single person get Omicron? The week after December 17th. Stop seeing Spider-Man.”

When one reporter suggested at one point that there may be another version of Biden in the “multiverse” who wants folks to watch the film, Davidson as another iteration of the president pops out:

“The time has come. You are ready. I am Joe Biden from the real universe, the timeline you are all living in is about to collapse. You see, it was created as a joke starting in 2016 when the Chicago Cubs won the World Series. Now, it spiraled out of control and could explode at any minute.”

He then proceeds to answer questions about the “real universe.” Speaking on whether Biden was still the Commander in Chief or if everyone’s lives were “better” there, the Staten Island native quipped and hinted at his whirlwind romance with the KUWTK alum:

“Everyone on earth is better off in the real world, except one man named Pete Davidson. Your world has made it more fun for him.”

We can imagine it has been a great time for Pete right now! Ch-ch-check out the cold open (below):

For her opening monologue, DeBose paid tribute to the film that got her a Golden Globe this year with a West Side Story medley – featuring the one and only Kate McKinnon. The 38-year-old comedian confessed that the musical has been one of her all-time favorites “since elementary school.” However, she did fail to see the film that DeBose starred in as Anita, citing COVID-19 as the reason why:

“I don’t leave the house because of COVID, and also because I don’t leave the house.”

Nevertheless, the ladies still belted out some famous songs from the show, including I Feel Pretty, Tonight, America, and Something’s Coming. When the 30-year-old singer applauded Kate’s “pretty good” performance, the SNL cast member revealed she had been on Broadway before … somewhat. She immediately clarified that she had only stopped by “the street” itself in the past. LOLz! Watch the musical magic (below):

Later on, Chloe Fineman’s Elmo appeared on “Weekend Update” to reveal to Michael Che that he buried the hatchet with his viral nemesis, Rocco, once and for all after writing “a long Instagram post” to apologize for his behavior. And while he was all smiles at the start of the segment, things soon took a turn when Che brought out Rocco, who rolled in on a mini chair. And let’s just say, things quickly escalated – and Elmo went OFF! Take a look at the hilarious sketch (below):

As we mentioned before, the Bleachers took the stage last night, performing the energetic number How Dare You Want More and moving song Chinatown. You can watch the performances (below):