'SNL' cold open brought us to the 2023 Oscars early

Jamie Lee Curtis, George Santos, the slap, Mike Tyson, and more.
 By 
Christianna Silva
 on 
SNLs cold open parodies the Oscars with Jamie Lee Curtis, George Santos, the slap, Mike Tyson, and more.
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Almost one year ago today, a slap was heard around the world when Will Smith stormed onto the Oscars stage to hit Chris Rock for making a joke at his wife's expense. And the Academy really doesn't want that to happen again if you ask Marcello Hernandez and Heidi Gardner—who star as hosts of Access Hollywood‘s Oscars Red Carpet Show during last night's Saturday Night Live sketch.

Gardner — who played "Maria Menounos or Kit Hoover" — and Hernandez — who played Mario Lopez — said they were excited to have been "standing outside the Dolby Theatre for almost 153 hours."

After referencing Smith's slap, Gardner said that "this year, to make sure nothing crazy happens, the Academy hired a new head of security: notoriously calm and sane person, Mike Tyson."

Tyson, played brilliantly by Kenan Thompson, joked that he slipped an Apple AirTag into Smith's pocket to keep an eye on him and that this year "all the nominees have been given tasers, all the seat fillers have been given guns, and Jimmy Kimmel has been given a flamethrower."

The skit went on to include moments from Sarah Sherman as Michelle Williams’ Jewish acting coach, Mikey Day as Colin Farrell, Molly Kearney as Brendan Gleeson, and Bowen Yang as George Santos as Tom Cruise.

Topics SNL

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Christianna Silva
Senior Culture Reporter

Christianna Silva is a senior culture reporter covering social platforms and the creator economy, with a focus on the intersection of social media, politics, and the economic systems that govern us. Since joining Mashable in 2021, they have reported extensively on meme creators, content moderation, and the nature of online creation under capitalism.

Before joining Mashable, they worked as an editor at NPR and MTV News, a reporter at Teen Vogue and VICE News, and as a stablehand at a mini-horse farm. You can follow her on Bluesky @christiannaj.bsky.social and Instagram @christianna_j.


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