On Sat., Oct. 9, 2021, Kim Kardashian appeared as a host on Saturday Night Live and surprised everyone with her humorous skit performances and satirical opening monologue.  Before Kim’s appearance on the show, many SNL fans and celebrities had low expectations for the episode and were upset that she was chosen to host in the first place.  

“Why Kim Kardashian? Although she is a cultural icon, SNL usually has hosts who are performers or who are there to promote a film, TV show, or album launch. 

Kim Kardashian proved her haters and many others wrong, as in fact, the total ratings for her episode were up 7% from the season premiere, which was a record low for Saturday Night Live.  The highlight of Kim’s episode was her hilarious opening monologue, where she took jabs at her family, herself, O.J. Simpson, and ex-husband Kanye West.  Although most viewers enjoyed her opening monologue, others found it offensive and inappropriate.  

“I thought that the jokes in the opening monologue were funny on her part, but I also found them to be a little bit weird and offensive,” said sophomore Rebecca Singer.

Later in the episode, a sketch titled “The Dream Guy” took center stage with a star-studded cast.  In this skit, Kim Kardashian plays a woman (Rochelle) who has to choose “her dream man” on a Bachelorette-esque dating show.  The seven men vying for her love were actors Chase Crawford and Jesse Williams, WWE superstar John Cena, athlete Blake Griffin, former Bachelorette star Tyler Cameron, comedian Chris Rock, and a quirky guy with a ponytail named Zeke (played by SNL cast member Kyle Mooney).  At the beginning of the sketch, Rochelle says “I have no doubt in my mind that my husband is in this room.  In fact, I wish I could marry each and every one of you, but that would be way too many husbands.”  At the end, only Zeke and John Cena are left standing, leaving Rochelle with a “very hard” decision.  She eventually chooses John Cena but tells him to figure out his “wife situation.” 

In a later sketch, called “The People’s Kourt,” Kim makes fun of her family by playing her sister Kourtney Kardashian as a judge trying to settle her family’s various issues. 

“I found it interesting how the writers created a script for her that exposed and made fun of her family and herself.  It was weird how she talked about things that she would never usually speak about and hasn’t spoken about publicly before,” said senior Olivia Johnson.

Some other sketches from the night were “The Switch” and “Lotto Drawing.”  In the former, SNL cast member Aidy Bryant switches lives with Kim Kardashian, and as you can imagine, hilarity ensues.  “Lotto Drawing” involved Kim Kardashian and cast-member Cecily Strong playing two Powerball jackpot hosts.  However, instead of sending numbered balls up the Powerball tubes, different items, such as meatballs, bread, wallets, phones, keys, and more, came up through the tubes, confusing the news co-hosts (played by cast-members Kenan Thompson and Aidy Bryant).  

“I thought that the whole episode was very funny and entertaining,” said junior Kate Prohens.

Overall, Kim Kardashian’s Saturday Night Live episode exceeded many people’s expectations, improved the show’s failing ratings, and showed that Kim Kardashian, no matter what people may think of her, can help to put on a successful show.

 If you want to watch the episode, you can find all of the skits, including the opening monologue and cold open, on YouTube. You can also stream the episode on Hulu+, NBC.com, and on Peacock (NBC’s new streaming service).