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The latest episode of Saturday Night Live aired on April 12, 2025. Jon Hamm hosted the show for the fourth time, and musical guest Lizzo performed two new songs. During the Weekend Update segment, cast member Emil Wakim gave a short speech about confusing parts of life in America.
Emil talked about what it’s like to live in the US as the son of an immigrant and made jokes about how capitalism affects people every day. Wakim shared personal examples to explain his thoughts. He mentioned using Uber Eats and walking by an M&M store next to a church.
"New York City is if capitalism was a physical location. There's an M&M store next to a church. This is hell," he shared.
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Emil's jokes talked about ideas like money, immigration, and power, but he kept the tone light and funny. The April 12 episode of Saturday Night Live also included other Weekend Update jokes from cast members Bowen Yang, who returned as Chinese Trade Minister Chen Biao, and Sarah Sherman, who played accountant Dawn Altman.
Emil Wakim on navigating capitalism and identity in Saturday Night Live
Emil Wakim opened his Weekend Update segment of Saturday Night Live carrying two small American flags.
“This was just to buy me some good will before the stuff I’m about to say, but it’s a tough time to criticize America publicly, especially with eyebrows like this,” he shared.
Emil's three-minute commentary leaned into his stand-up background, using humour to explore the truths about life in the U.S., especially the contradictions that come with modern work and consumption habits. He talked about his interactions with Uber Eats drivers and how they often feel strangely personal or uncomfortable.
"You open the door for him, an amount that is just racist, frankly. You had like a hard day sending emails for Hitler or whatever anyone’s job is,” he said.
Emil further said it was hard to not "feel guilty," living in America. He ended his segment by asking the fans to not "deport" him, because he wanted to keep buying stuff.
Other highlights from the Weekend Update segment
Bowen Yang returned to the Update desk as Chinese Trade Minister Chen Biao. This marked his sixth appearance in the role, where he humorously discussed U.S.–China relations and joked about writing a book titled Peasant Elegy. He also made a quick remark about giving Glenn Close an Oscar, adding a pop culture reference to his political angle.
“It’s like listening to Bubba Gump talk about shrimp,” Colin Jost said.
Michael Che weighed in on recent political news during the Weekend Update segment of Saturday Night Live, offering commentary on Donald Trump’s approach to the economy. Referring to Trump’s statement comparing the downturn to treating an illness, Che said,
“Yeah, but this feels like we took a whole bottle of medicine with a glass of vodka and laid in a warm bath.”
Michael Che's biggest reaction of the night came when he joked about Elon Musk appealing to Trump to stop the tariff plan, adding, “The stock market went up like this,” as a picture of Musk doing a Nazi-like salute appeared on screen, prompting gasps from the audience.
Sarah Sherman also appeared during the same segment. Playing accountant Dawn Altman, she ended her bit in full panic mode by smashing her head through the set wall and yelling that there were “so many” women tied up inside, as bound hands emerged from the torn wallpaper behind her.
New episodes of Saturday Night Live air every Saturday on NBC and Peacock.
