Nerves were sky-high for Josh O’Connor heading into his Saturday Night Live hosting debut.
The Wake Up Dead Man star rated his anxiety a perfect 10 out of 10 in the week before stepping onto the Studio 8H stage.
But when the cameras rolled, O’Connor’s opening monologue proved he had nothing to worry about—at least for those first three minutes.
What followed, however, was a different story entirely.
A Monologue That Delivered
O’Connor kicked off his SNL debut with self-deprecating humor that felt refreshingly internet-aware. His opening joke addressed the elephant in the room: No, he is not the mouse from Flushed Away.
From there, he leaned into his “soft boy” reputation with charming specificity. He described himself as essentially “an average 65-year-old woman” who enjoys embroidering, scrapbooking, and gardening.
Then came the Ratatouille moment—a topic that’s followed O’Connor across social media for months. Fans have repeatedly fan-cast him as Alfredo Linguini in a hypothetical live-action remake of the beloved Pixar film.
Do you know how it feels to be publicly rejected from a job I didn’t even want? For the record, I don’t even want a live-action Ratatouille.
After Pixar’s Pete Docter publicly shot down such a project, O’Connor found himself in the awkward position of being rejected for a role he never auditioned for.
But he couldn’t resist pivoting mid-thought.
Sorry, sorry, for what it’s worth: I would kill as Linguini.
Lost in Translation: Sketches That Missed the Mark
Unfortunately, that monologue magic didn’t carry through to most of the night’s sketches. Much like Linguini being puppeted by Remy the rat, O’Connor seemed pulled from scene to scene without much purpose.
SNL struggled to capture O’Connor’s whimsical charm—the kind he’s displayed brilliantly in projects like Emma and The Mastermind. Instead, sketches either underutilized him or didn’t seem to know what to do with him at all.
“Let’s Find Love” Falls Flat
In early sketch “Let’s Find Love,” O’Connor played a boyish dating show contestant. He was quickly overshadowed by Ashley Padilla’s 84-year-old scooter-riding character whose disregard for reality TV norms generated early laughs.
But repetitiveness killed whatever momentum the sketch initially built. O’Connor’s presence felt almost incidental.
Wizard of Oz Deleted Scenes Go Nowhere
A later sketch featuring deleted scenes from The Wizard of Oz assembled an impressive cast: Sarah Sherman as Dorothy, Bowen Yang as the Wizard, Andrew Dismukes as the Scarecrow, Kenan Thompson as the Cowardly Lion, and O’Connor as the Tin Man.
When Thompson’s Lion revealed he’d wished for a “big ole thing” rather than bravery, the other male characters jumped on board. The sketch devolved into a one-note dick joke that couldn’t sustain itself.
O’Connor was handed middling lines that went nowhere. As the saying goes, it’s not about size—it’s about execution. This sketch had neither.
Brunch Sketch Overstuffs Its Cast
The night’s closing brunch sketch didn’t feature O’Connor until halfway through. Playing an awkward, unwelcome dad, he appeared in a skit that careened through multiple characters breaking the fourth wall via song.
The sketch felt as overstuffed as Veronika Slowikowska’s character found Chloe Fineman’s after committing the cardinal sin of grabbing an extra slice of flatbread.
The Night’s Standout: Sensitive Strippers Steal the Show
If there was one sketch that truly utilized O’Connor’s talents, it was “Bachelorette Party Strippers.” This pre-recorded gem paired O’Connor with Ben Marshall as “the most sensitive strippers in all of the Catskills.”
With A Little Life in hand, beanies perched on perfectly rumpled heads, and multiple layers of clothing, the duo delivered something genuinely delightful.
Golden moments included:
- A lo-fi version of Ginuwine’s “Pony”
- Earnest line readings of “You are enough” and “You have to forgive yourself”
- An undeclared romantic tension between Marshall’s Augie and O’Connor’s Remington
Padilla’s bride-to-be grew increasingly hot and bothered—though the real steamy will-they-won’t-they belonged to the two sensitive performers themselves.
Resurrections That Didn’t Stick
SNL attempted to bring back successful characters with mixed results. Bowen Yang’s Dr. Please—first introduced triumphantly during Ryan Gosling’s hosting stint—fizzled quickly this time around.
O’Connor portrayed an intern with little to do as Padilla’s exchanges with the doctor stole focus.
Doctor, your car… Was towed? No, was left at the scene of a crime. Just like I left it.
Mikey Day and Streeter Seidell’s animated short “Brad and His Dad” returned for round two with a holiday-themed installment. Unfortunately, it felt like filler rather than essential viewing.
Missing From the Best Sketch
In a puzzling oversight, O’Connor didn’t appear in one of the night’s strongest offerings: a pre-taped sketch spoofing Spotify’s beloved Wrapped playlist feature.
Whether due to scheduling conflicts or creative decisions, excluding your host from one of your best sketches seems like a missed opportunity.
Weekend Update Finds Its Footing
Weekend Update delivered solid jabs at President Donald Trump throughout the segment. Colin Jost landed a particularly sharp quip about Trump’s comments on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
In a new interview, President Trump said that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s ‘days are numbered.’ As opposed to Trump, whose days are lettered.
The screen flashed an image of a weekly pill organizer to drive the joke home.
Jane Wickline’s Absurdist Masterpiece
The segment’s highlight came from Jane Wickline’s return with her offbeat keyboard ditties. Her performance addressed what she called “the greatest threat to humanity right now.”
Initially presented as a warning about AI, the song abruptly pivoted to discuss the child stars of Stranger Things. Wickline’s absurdist lyrics warned against the former child actors with deliberately over-the-top paranoia.
They’re adults, we have to destroy them before they destroy everything. AI is just a distraction. The real threat here is Sadie Sink and her child co-stars on Stranger Things.
Other memorable lines included warnings about their 60 million followers and the need to keep them occupied before they “seize the next election.”
Finn Wolfhard is the devil to me. The six of them are in a room right now preparing to seize the next election. And for these reasons, I stand with Vecna.
Wickline even drew a parallel to Joe Rogan, noting he “used to make people eat bugs on Fear Factor, and now he’s President of the United States.”
A Host With Potential, Underutilized
Josh O’Connor proved in his opening monologue that he possesses exactly the kind of charm and comedic timing SNL should want to showcase. His ability to balance self-deprecation with confident delivery suggested a host who could carry diverse material.
Instead, most sketches relegated him to supporting roles or saddled him with one-note concepts that couldn’t capitalize on his strengths. The “Bachelorette Party Strippers” sketch demonstrated what was possible when writers crafted material suited to O’Connor’s sensibilities.
Like Linguini in Ratatouille, O’Connor showed flashes of brilliance when given proper direction. Unfortunately, for much of the night, he was left searching for the right recipe while SNL struggled to figure out how to cook with him.
Perhaps next time—if there is one—the writers’ room will remember: he would absolutely kill as Linguini. They just need to let him.