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Saturday Night Live premiered its 50th season on March 30, 2025, with Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and Better Things star Mikey Madison taking the stage as host. The episode included a sketch featuring Madison alongside cast member Marcello Hernández, who played an intense acting coach.
The segment took place in a fictional acting class, where students were encouraged to showcase their experience and receive feedback.
When asked about her acting background, Madison’s character Connie replied that she participated in Survivor, Hell’s Kitchen, and Love Is Blind,”
“Number one, Survivor, Choked on some water, medically evacuated. Number two, Hell's Kitchen, Gordon Ramsay called me a donut. Number three, Love Is Blind, fell in love, then saw him and said, no bi**h,” she added.
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The sketch set the tone for the episode, blending celebrity references with over-the-top character moments. Hernández led the scene as a dramatic and eccentric coach who insisted he was highly qualified based on his past reality show appearances and a surprising audition story.
The episode included a mix of live sketches, music, and digital shorts, with Madison participating in a variety of roles throughout the night. However, the White Lotus audition sketch stood out as the first performance after the monologue, gaining attention for its humor and a near-break in character by Hernández.
Marcello Hernández plays the acting coach with three credits in Saturday Night Live
The first sketch after Mikey Madison’s monologue featured Marcello Hernández as an enthusiastic acting coach addressing his students. Among them were Andrew Dismukes as David and Mikey Madison as Connie. When David questioned the coach’s credibility, Hernández’s character became defensive and launched into his list of past experiences.
“Number 1, Wipeout. Busted my face on a big red ball. Number 2, What Would You Do? with John Quiñónes. Did not help and was racist. Number 3, White Lotus. Auditioned for the incest scene with my biological brother, and I didn’t hate it,” he shared.
David then replied,
“So you didn’t get the part and you made out with your brother?”
The moment landed as one of the sketch’s funny exchanges in this episode of Saturday Night Live. As the scene progressed, Hernández’s exaggerated physical movements and dialogue delivery added to the comedic timing. He even launched into high kicks while pretending to film a Nike ad, before shouting, “Go to sleep!” when corrected about the slogan.
Hernández nearly breaks character during scene with Madison
Later in this sketch from the Saturday Night Live premiere, as Hernández interacted with Madison’s character, he began to crack under the pressure of keeping a straight face. At one point, off-camera laughter could be heard, and when the camera returned to him, he was visibly trying not to laugh.
His line to Madison’s character:
“Connie, my slippery little beaver. Come up here” — nearly caused a full break.
The moment drew laugh reactions from the live audience, especially as Hernández pushed through the rest of the scene while attempting to stay composed.
Other episode highlights
During her monologue in Saturday Night Live, Mikey Madison reflected on the contrast between her calm real-life personality and her intense on-screen roles.
“As you can tell, I have a pretty relaxed vibe in real life, and I try to incorporate that into all my roles,” she joked,
This was followed by clips of her characters being set on fire or involved in violent scenes. Morgan Wallen performed I’m the Problem and Just in Case, two tracks from his upcoming album.
Fans can watch the premiere episode of Saturday Night Live 50 currently streaming on NBC and Peacock.
