Chance the Rapper made his debut hosting gig on “Saturday Night Live,” which featured a musical act from Eminem and quick cameo from Questlove.
This was the last episode before the show's Thanksgiving break, and as such, Chance proclaimed during his opening monologue that he wanted to be the “Mariah Carey of Thanksgiving."
“I don’t have anything to promote tonight. The only thing I’m here to celebrate is Thanksgiving,” he said, before breaking out into song.
Later in the night Chance broke out into song again for a sketch that turned out to be one of the breakout moments of the night. The digital short “Come Back, Barack” featured Chance, Kenan Thompson, and Chris Redd in ‘90s-style oversized suits for an R&B slow jam about the sorrows of life after Barack Obama’s presidency.
Lyrics to the ballad include, “And I know there’s other Democrats, more than just a few / But when I think of change, the only change I want is you.”
During Weekend Update, co-hosts Michael Che and Colin Jost tackled the ongoing sexual assault allegations in the news, this time highlighting Senator Al Franken (who was once a cast member on the show), Roy Moore, and Jeremy Piven. Kate McKinnon later appeared as Jeff Sessions to talk President Donald Trump’s Russia ties.
Chance, Thompson, and Redd also teamed up for another sketch, “Rap History,” acting as members of fictitious 1970's hip-hop group Soul Crush Crew. The documentary-style clip featured cameos from actual hip-hop artists, including Common and Philly’s own Questlove.
As the musical guest, Eminem performed a medley more than eight minutes long featuring songs “Walk on Water,” “Stan,” and “Love the Way You Lie,” featuring Skylar Grey.