Kate McKinnon begins her ‘SNL’ hosting debut with Kristen Wiig and Maya Rudolph during monologue

Saturday night liveThe final episode of 2023 featured several alumni of the comedy show.

Kate McKinnon, who left the show last year, not only returned as host, but her castmates Kristen Wiig and Maya Rudolph also made a guest appearance during her monologue.

When McKinnon took the stage at Studio 8H, he began by saying that it was strange to go back to his “old job” and do the monologue: “I don’t really like speaking in my own voice. “That’s why I got into this business in the first place.”

The comedian proceeded to joke that she left. SNL because “my skin reacted badly to the prosthetics” of all the characters he played for 10 years.

“I’ve never been myself in a monologue before,” she said, adding that she typically plays “the role of a monster next to an attractive person” during previous monologues with other hosts.

McKinnon also acknowledged the “great year” she has had after appearing as “Weird Barbie” in Greta Gerwig’s summer blockbuster. Barbie.

“I walked in the first day and they were like, ‘Oh my God, you look perfect,’ and I was like, ‘These are my clothes,’” she joked.

The comedian then performed a version of the classic Christmas song “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” for SNL Executive producer Lorne Michaels, singing, “Feed me figs and make me wigs/reactivate my ID.” But shortly after, Wiig and Rudolph surprised McKinnon on stage in an emotional moment, where they sang another song to close the monologue: “We came home for Christmas/It’s time to start the show.”

McKinnon was a cast member of SNL from 2012 to 2022, Wiig was on the show from 2005 to 2023, and Rudolph was a cast member from 2000 to 2007.

Before, during the cold opening, SNL The cast members parodied Hollywood awards shows, only this time it was the 95th annual Christmas Awards honoring holiday excellence.

Billie Eilish returned to SNL for the third time on Saturday after previously serving as musical guest in 2019, as well as hosting and being musical guest in 2021.