The Saturday Night Live writers weren’t exactly making fun of totally relevant trends for Lizzo’s episode this weekend. One sketch joked about the Six Flags mascot “Mr. Six,” who hasn’t been used in a commercial since 2010, while another joked about the making of The Black Eyed Peas’ 13-year-old hit “Boom Boom Pow.” The Black Eyed Peas parody was hilarious as SNL tracked the creation of the hit song.
The sketch featured Lizzo and Aidy Bryant as record executives who wanted to hear how far along the group was. The lyrics for “Boom Boom Pow” are famously simple, so the group just performed the opening line. “Gotta get that boom boom boom,” will.i.am (Kenan Thompson) sang. “Wow, William, that’s a really good start,” Bryan said. “It’s Will. I. Am,” will.i.am corrected.
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Lizzo and Bryant suggested they add some new lyrics, but will.i.am, Fergie (Cecily Strong), apl.de.ap (Chris Redd), and Taboo (Bowen Yang) were not interested. The executives threw out other ideas, suggesting they think about where the song would play. Fergie then came up with, “People in the place!” Bryant wanted Fergie to expand on this, but that didn’t work.
Lizzo then performed Fergie’s famous verse in the song. “That’s amazing, but I want it to be 3008,” Fergie said. “OK, why?” Lizzo asked as she began breaking. “Because it’s bigger,” Fergie replied. “Fine. Do you have any other notes?” Lizzo asked. “My humps!”
Bryant and Lizzo sensed they were not getting anywhere, so they moved on to The Black Eyed Peas’ next single, “I Gotta Feeling.” The executives wanted the group to start brainstorming the answers to the question, “How’s tonight going to be?” The lyrics for this song are also simple, but Bryant and Lizzo were stunned by the creativity. The sketch ended with the group singing “Let’s do it” from “I Gotta Feeling.”
The “Black Eyed Peas” sketch wasn’t the only one that leaned heavily into 2000s nostalgia. The “Six Flags” sketch featured Lizzo and Mickey Day as a couple who end their date at Lizzo’s house only to learn that her grandfather is Mr. Six (Sarah Sherman). It was a hilarious throwback sketch that seemed irrelevant, but it worked. The sketch gets more and more bizarre as it goes on, culminating with Lizzo revealing that all of her grandparents’ friends are Six Flags guys. Mr. Six hasn’t been used in commercials for over a decade, but that didn’t matter because they remain so memorable that the sketch worked.
The next new SNL episode features Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness star Benedict Cumberbatch and Arcade Fire on May 7. This will be Cumberbatch’s first time hosting since November 2016. Arcade Fire previously stopped by in 2007, 2010, 2013, and 2018. SNL airs at 11:30 p.m. ET Saturdays on NBC.
