‘SNL’ Skewers ‘America’s Got Talent’ With Jonah Hill

Saturday Night Live poked fun at America’s Got Talent this weekend in a skit featuring Jonah Hill.

The sketch comedy show mocked AGT for its most common trope: the performers who defy expectations. The skit was a parody ad for an AGT special titled Wait, They’re Good? The idea was to collect all of the times when performers seemed like incompetent amateurs, and turned out to have incredible talent.

The skit featured Kate McKinnon as Heidi Klum, Beck Bennett as Simon Cowell, Ego Nwodim as Mel B and Kyle Mooney as Howie Mandel. Performers included Melissa Villasenor as a modest singer, and Jonah Hill dressed as a cowboy, claiming to have never heard of music before at all.

“You’ve never heard the word music?” asked McKinnon as a confused Klum.

“Can’t say I have, ma’am,” Hill responded in a southern drawl. He proceeded to bust into a high-pitched song and a gyrating dance.

“You didn’t think he could sing, did you?” the narrator said. “You monster!”

The skit continued to escalate as the next performer was Cecily Strong, playing a feral woman who had literally grown up in the wild. Still, she was able to perform a soulful ballad.

“And there goes the audience again,” the narrator said as they rose for a standing ovation. “They genuinely didn’t see it coming, even though they’ve seen it this guy, and this girl.”

At that point, the screen showed actual performers from AGT in the past. They were all viral performances that defied all expectations — even after the bar was set incredibly high.

The skit was a welcome departure from politics and news for many viewers. Saturday Night Live had a lot to address in this week’s episode after returning from a two-week hiatus.

In that time, there were massive stories that would normally warrant a parody from the show, usually including Alec Baldwin as President Donald Trump. In addition, cast member Pete Davidson broke off his engagement with Ariana Grande — a relationship that featured heavily in the first part of the season.

Davidson was dragged for joking about the break-up in ads for the episode. In one, he asked musical guest Maggie Rogers to marry him, to which she promptly said no.

“Oh for three,” he sighed.

Grande’s fans did not like these jokes, but Davidson took a more sympathetic tone on the show itself. He rolled out on stage during Weekend Update for a few political jabs before making his obligatory statement on the break-up.

“The last thing I will say is, I know some of you are curious about the break-up, but the truth is, it’s nobody’s business, and sometimes things just don’t work out, and that’s okay,” he said. “She’s a wonderful, strong person, and I genuinely wish her all the happiness in the world. Now please, go vote on Tuesday.”