Ariel from 'The Little Mermaid' visits Weekend Update to talk about pressure and expectations

We stan a problematic princess.
 By 
Chance Townsend
 on 
Ego Nwodim smiles in the camera. She is portraying the character of Ariel from 'The Little Mermaid'
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The discourse around the new portrayal of Ariel in Disney's live-action remake of The Little Mermaid has been toxic, to say the least. But if there's one thing many have agreed upon, Halle Bailey's Ariel will be looked upon as an idol and hero to many young girls across the world.

Ariel disagrees.

Yes, that's right, Ariel played by Ego Nwodim, took a quick trip to talk to Colin Jost on Saturday Night Live's Weekend Update to lower fan expectations. The princess made it clear that she is not our savior, but is in fact, a rich nepo-baby whose dad is "the king of the sea," and that the only reason she's here is because her mom "had sex with a tuna."

She hates the ocean, caused the BP oil spill, and strangely enough, supported the invasion of Iraq?

"It's got nothing to do with the sea," she told Jost. "Just wanted to get revenge for 9/11."

This version of Ariel perhaps isn't the hero we should be looking up to but maybe Bailey's is. Here's hoping when The Little Mermaid releases on May 26, 2023.

Topics SNL

Headshot of a Black man
Chance Townsend
Assistant Editor, General Assignments

Chance Townsend is the General Assignments Editor at Mashable, covering tech, video games, dating apps, digital culture, and whatever else comes his way. He has a Master's in Journalism from the University of North Texas and is a proud orange cat father. His writing has also appeared in PC Mag and Mother Jones.

In his free time, he cooks, loves to sleep, and greatly enjoys Detroit sports. If you have any tips or want to talk shop about the Lions, you can reach out to him on Bluesky @offbrandchance.bsky.social or by email at [email protected].


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