Saturday Night Live is finally making its way to the airwaves again this week. After a five-month writers’ strike that closely lined up with the show’s summer hiatus, we’ll finally hear those magical words “Live from New York, it’s Saturday night,” once again. But before that, SNL has a little explanation for how, of all people, Pete Davidson got the hosting gig. If this promo is canon, which it must be since it appeared on SNL’s YouTube page, Davidson gave himself the job.
By now, we all know that Davidson is hosting the season premiere of SNL with Ice Spice as the musical guest. But in the promo, Chloe Fineman and Bowen Yang return to studio 8H from a summer of meeting their birth mother and watching Suits, respectively, to discover Pete Davidson doing what he does best: Slacking off and eating chips. Squatting in the studio—which was his home for eight seasons—during an apartment renovation, Davidson learns, perhaps too late, that the set is closed to anyone who isn’t a host or cast member. Davidson declares himself host, and the rest is history. Presumably, this is how he got Bupkis, too.
But the real standout of the spot is Davidson’s perfectly honed “Kenan face.” With his neck pulled back, his chin pushed to the right, and a wry smile that asks, “Ain’t I a stinker?” Davidson reveals a new side of his comedic persona: The impressionist. Sure, we’ve seen, and likely will see, his recurring characters, such as Chad and Weekend Update’s Pete Davidson, but a Kenan Thompson impression? We’ve underestimated the comedian. However, we should note that his Adam Sandler is pretty good, too, leading us to believe he’s best utilized when impersonating SNL legends.
Saturday Night Live returns on Saturday.
Correction: An earlier version of this article misspelled Kenan Thompson’s name “Keenan.” We regret the error.