Oscar-winner Regina King is taking over Saturday Night Live‘s Valentine’s Day episode tonight, and she got in the spirit while filming the promos for the show. King is making her debut on the long-running sketch comedy show, with musician Nathaniel Rateliff performing. The new episode kicks off at 11:30 p.m. ET Saturday on NBC.
In the first promo, cast member Beck Bennett tries to get the show’s guests in the spirit of Valentine’s Day, New York style. “February in New York. The most magical time of year,” Bennett said. “The wind, the chill, the slush,” King said. “The sun setting at 4:30,” Rateliff chimed in. “Regular season NBA games,” Bennett said. King stopped him before he got any further though as they realized they were not making a good pitch for the New York City tourism board.
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Next, Bennett asking King if she would be his valentine. King said she would love to, but Bennett was really talking to his wife and pulled out his earbud. Bennett then decided to take King up on her offer and hung up on his wife. “Not cool,” King said as she shook her head.
King’s appearance on Saturday Night Live comes just after the release of her acclaimed debut as a feature film director, One Night in Miami. The movie is based on the play by Kemp Powers and depicts a fictional meeting of Malcolm X (Kingsley Ben-Adir), Muhammad Ali (Eli Goree), Jim Brown (Aldis Hodge), and Sam Cooke (Leslie Odom Jr.) on the night of Ali’s victory over Sonny Liston in February 1964. The movie was nominated for three Golden Globes, Best Director for King, Best Supporting Actor for Odom Jr., and Best Original Song for “Speak Now.” One Night in Miami is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.
King also recently starred in HBO’s hit miniseries Watchmen, inspired by the DC Comics book. In 2019, she won an Oscar for her supporting role in If Beale Street Could Talk. She won two Emmys for American Crime and Emmys for the limited series Seven Seconds and Watchmen.
As for Rateliff, his SNL appearance follows the release of his 2020 album And It’s Still Alright. He is best known for his 2015 album, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, which featured his hit single “S.O.B.” In 2018, he released Tearing at the Seams, which includes “You Worry Me” and “A Little Honey.” He also recorded the single “Redemption,” which is featured in the Justin Timberlake-starring movie Palmer.
