Who is Hosting Saturday Night Live Tonight: July 4, 2020

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It’s Christmas in July tonight on Saturday Night Live with an SNL repeat hosted by Scarlett Johansson!

Summer is here with the 4th of July weekend and with Independence Day landing on a Saturday, SNL, always the contrarian, is airing a Christmas show. The Saturday Night Live cast, crew, writers and producers are all enjoying their summer vacations as we make our way through the warm months of reruns waiting for any news about what the show will look like when it returns in the fall for SNL – Season 46.

There hasn’t been any word on when SNL will attempt to premiere the new season this fall. It usually debuts on the last Saturday of September, but with the Covid-19 virus still running the show when it comes to things like movies and television shows in this country, that’s not even a definite anymore. We also haven’t heard any word on cast changes for the upcoming season. All we know as of now is that cast member Pete Davidson says he has no plans leave SNL even after the success his Judd Apatow directed hit, “The King of Staten Island” had On Demand when it debuted a few weeks ago.

While plugging his film, Pete recently told Entertainment Tonight that Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels is “not only a mentor and a boss, but a friend” as well. Very smart move. And Pete added, “I’ll be there (at SNL) as long as they allow it.” So far, it looks like they’re allowing it.

Tonight’s SNL repeat is from Saturday, December 14th, 2019. That was the original air date when Scarlett Johansson, who joined Saturday Night Live‘s Five-Timers Club in 2017, returned to host SNL for a 6th time in late 2019. Scar-Jo arrived back at Studio 8-H at 30 Rock with two major projects to promote.

She had her latest dramatic work to plug. It was the critically-acclaimed, extremely tense family drama “Marriage Story” co-starring Adam Driver which also earned Scarlett Johansson Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations. “Marriage Story” had already been released in theaters and was streaming on Netflix when Scarlett hosted SNL for the 6th time. She also had her newest action movie to promote.

Scarlett Johansson was getting a jump on promoting her new film “Black Widow.” This SNL episode aired in December, 2019, and “Black Widow“, the first film in Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, wasn’t due to be released until April, 2020. The movie is a continuation of Scarlett Johansson’s character in the “Marvel’s Avengers” franchise and it’s the character’s first stand alone film.

“Black Widow” was due for a Spring, 2020 release. And like most films in the Covid era, the release was postponed. Now Scarlett Johansson’s solo “Avengers” joint will be out this fall. The new “Black Widow” release date is scheduled for Friday, November 6th, 2020. Unless the virus changes its mind.

While “Marriage Story” starring Scarlett Johansson does get the SNL parody treatment on this repeat episode of Saturday Night Live (more on that later when we talk about tonight’s SNL Shorts), it was her work in the “Avengers” which was the basis of Scar-Jo’s 6th SNL monologue tonight.

For her monologue, the Saturday Night Live writers borrowed a theme that was the centerpiece of the last two “Avengers” movies, “Avengers: Infinity War” (2018) and “Avengers: Endgame” (2019). In those films, the good guys are battling the big, bad, purple villain Thanos who had used the Infinity Gauntlet to turn half of all life in the universe into dust, causing them to disappear from existence.

As Scarlett Johansson is doing her monologue, the SNL cast members start getting dusted one by one and disappearing. It’s up to Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow with the help of cast member Kenan Thompson’s brilliant impression of Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury to save the day. Turns out it’s not Thanos behind this plot. It’s just a bored Pete Davidson, who draws an odd look of disgust from the host when he goes in for a monologue hug and a kiss.

That affection was saved for Scarlett Johansson’s real life fiancé, SNL cast member, head writer and Weekend Update anchorman Colin Jost, who Scarlett calls “the love of her life.” There’s a smooch and a hug on stage between the two as Scar-Jo is telling the audience “We’ve got a great show for you. Niall Horan is here. Stick around. We’ll be right back.”

As mentioned, this SNL rerun is heavily influenced by Christmas time. That includes the politically-themed SNL Cold Open. The show kicks off with cast member Aidy Bryant playing what looks like a live-action version of “Sam the Snowman” from the classic Christmas special, “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer“. Aidy’s snowman sets the stage for the cold open.

It features three American families talking about Congress’ then-recent decision to impeach President & Orange Grinch Donald J. Trump. The families include a liberal family in San Francisco all in favor of impeachment. They’re probably in Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s home district. Also, there’s a conservative family against impeachment in Charleston, South Carolina. They’re most likely Senator Lady G voters. And finally, there’s a black family in Atlanta who couldn’t be bothered. They already know how it’s all going to turn out.

The opening sketch also gives us a new celebrity impression from cast member Kate McKinnon. She plays a gloomy Greta Thunberg the headlining environmentalist and Time Magazine’s 2019 Person of the Year.

Other holiday sketches you’ll see tonight on this Saturday Night Live Christmas repeat episode include one that shows why Kenan Thompson has been gainfully employed on Saturday Night Live since 2003. It’s called “Singing Elves” and has some characters we hope are back every time that Scarlett Johansson hosts the show. Scarlett and Kenan play Dondra Dupree and Wondrous Williams, a couple of “entertainters” who don’t stick to the holiday classics when they’re hired as mall carolers.

Their tunes are written by LaTony Garage, masterfully played by featured cast member Bowen Yang who owes a debt of thanks to the SNL hair, makeup and wardrobe departments for bringing his characters to life on Saturday Night Live. LaTony’s inspiration for his holiday originals is that “snorty snow” called “Crocraine!” “Thunderstand??”

There’s another musical Christmas sketch tonight which is hilarious. In the vain of “A Christmas Carol“, two dead strippers (host Scarlett Johansson and cast member Cecily Strong) haunt a couple in a hotel hot tub and sing all about their Christmas night demise which causes them to spend eternity poolside at a motel. Watch for musical guest Niall Horan in this sketch. The former One Direction member does an admirable job as the strip club owner Big Jim.

This evening’s SNL repeat also has a holiday game show sketch. Scarlett Johansson plays the contestant looking for a beau on a Hallmark Channel game show called “A Winter Boyfriend For Holiday Christmas.” This sketch somehow squeezes in every trite stereotype and TV trope that you find in those sappy, romantic Hallmark Channel original movies.

One sketch that doesn’t have a Christmas element to it is called “Celebrity Sighting“. This sketch was actually part of Bowen Yang’s audition for Saturday Night Live. It’s from his stand up act where he talks about being a dead ringer (poor choice of words) for the man seen on all the choking hazard posters up in restaurants and kitchens everywhere.

Bowen and Scarlett Johansson play the couple in the poster demonstrating the Heimlich Maneuver. At first, you think the couple are overstating their own fame, until they’re spotted from the kitchen by restaurant worker Kate McKinnon, which leads to them getting mobbed and assuming their famous Heimlich pose for photos.

Saturday Night Live goes back to its past for inspiration on a couple of sketches tonight. There’s a #MeToo sketch which SNL has done before where two employees are fired from a company for misconduct and yet the staff is a lot more forgiving towards one offender over the over. In tonight’s case, it’s Scar-Jo as the female exec who is condemned without mercy for getting drunk at an office party and Kenan Thompson as lovable, elderly front desk guy Charlie whose sins are a lot worse, but are brushed off as harmless fun by his co-workers.

A sketch from Scarlett Johansson’s 2017 SNL hosting appearance is brought back to close out the show tonight. Scarlett plays the lead scientist developing technology that allows a pet owner to hear their dog’s thoughts. Everyone who was in the 2017 SNL – Season 42 sketch is back for this latest version of pet tech gone bad including Max the Pug who steals the show again.

In tonight’s SNL Christmas repeat, the SNL Shorts are stacked up like planes on the tarmac at LaGuardia Airport lined up to carry holiday travelers home. The first is called “Children’s Clothing Ad” which is a parody spot for Macy’s children’s holiday clothing. It starts out sweet enough till the kids all explode in tantrums from having to wear uncomfortable dressed-up clothes. It will bring back your own memories of agonizingly hard shoes and itchy pants from when you were a child getting ready to go to grandma’s house.

SNL Fun Fact: Watch for the little boy with cast member Mikey Day in the Macy’s parody short. That’s his real life 7 year old son breaking into show business.

The second SNL Short on this evening’s repeat is a twisted version of Scarlett Johansson’s Oscar nominated film “Marriage Story.” See. We told you we’d get back to it. The short is called “A Conway Marriage Story.” It’s the same fucked-up marriage, but in this version, the couple is White House adviser and Trump loyalist Kellyanne Conway and her husband, attorney George Conway who spends his free time terrorizing President Trump with mean tweets of his own. The amazing thing in this short is cast member Beck Bennett who looks nothing like George Conway in real life, but is transformed into a perfect replica of Trump’s arch-foe.

Our last SNL Short on tonight’s repeat is a Christmas music video. Cast member Cecily Strong plays the little girl singing “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus.” However in this version of the song, Daddy DID see Mommy kissing Santa Claus and he dug it. Turns out, Daddy and Mommy even hired a very willing Santy Claus to kiss her.

Tonight’s edition of Weekend Update is all about impeachment. That is the lead story of the night because less than day earlier, the House of Representatives had just drafted two articles of impeachment against DJT. Weekend Update anchor Colin Jost notes that Trumpy is the first sitting President to get impeached while running for re-election. He adds, “Because only Democrats could figure out a way to lose twice in the same year.”

Weekend Update also covers stories including Trump’s executive order classifying Judaism as both a nationality and a race, Trump attacking teen environmentalist Greta Thunberg, a Scripps National Spelling Bee rule change, Harvey Weinstein’s $25 million settlement with his accusers, Vanna White filling in the for a sick Pat Sajak on “Wheel of Fortune,” IHOP’s new casual dining restaurants, and penis-fish washing up on California beaches.

Michael Che also reports on the One Million Moms group’s latest protest. A recent thing bothering the one million women with one million sticks up their asses is of course, something they saw on television. The O.M.M.W.C.M.T.O.B. (One Million Moms Who Can’t Mind Their Own Business) were demonstrating against the Hallmark Channel for including a same-sex kiss in one of their movies. Che answers them perfectly back on tonight’s repeat by saying, “Ladies relax. If your kid is watching the Hallmark Channel, he already gay as hell.”

We get two recurring characters on tonight’s Weekend Update. Bowen Yang appears as Chen Biao, China’s Trade Representative to the United States. And cast member Kyle Mooney appears as the breakout star of the new Disney+ series, “The Mandalorian“, the character widely known as “Baby Yoda.” The “Star Wars” child star is reporting on his new rush of fame and how he’s got a big problem with another sci-fi character, Groot from Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy.”

If you’re into promo watching, we have the ones for this evening’s repeat episode of Saturday Night Live starring Scarlett Johansson. The first one is a Best Of reel for all of Scar-Jo’s work on SNL. This shows you exactly why she’s in the SNL Five-Timers Club.

Next up, you never want to have a run-in with Scarlett Johansson at SNL‘s Studio 8-H especially when you’re wearing a hot, itchy holiday sweater. Cast member Beck Bennett learns this the hard way as he battles sweat and rashes to prove how comfortable his sweater really is to wear.

Finally, we see host Scarlett Johansson joined by musical guest Niall Horan and cast member Cecily Strong. It turns out that at the top of Cecily’s Christmas list is this promo! It’s all she wants for Christmas. Well that and a lot of ski gear.

Scarlett Johansson hosts tonight’s repeat Saturday Night Live. The musical guest for this encore presentation is Niall Horan, once in One Direction and now a solo act. It all kicks off at 11:30pm et on NBC!

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Ernie Tripper

Ernie Tripper