Saturday Night Live Recap: Connor Storrie is a True Gift

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It’s likely you already know Connor Storrie, the star of the popular show Heated Rivalry. His sudden fame has earned him a dedicated—and enthusiastic—fanbase, particularly among women. It feels like Saturday Night Live is benefiting from having him as a host, rather than the other way around. I was surprised by just how widespread the excitement was: I saw ads for SNL watch parties at bars and even a post about him from a store I used to work at years ago, showing how much attention his hosting gig is getting.

It makes sense that he’s a natural host – he trained as a clown and studied improv at The Groundlings. His dedication to the role is also clear; his convincing Russian accent for the character Ilya Rozanov fooled many viewers (at least, it fooled me!) when he started doing interviews. Going into his hosting debut, the question wasn’t if he could handle the job, but rather how the show would showcase his talents.

The news of U.S. military strikes on Iran, which broke Saturday morning, cast a somber mood over everything – to put it mildly. The show addressed the situation as well as possible in its opening segment, featuring monologues from James Austin Johnson as Trump and Colin Jost as Pete Hegseth. Considering it was written in just one day, the segment effectively captured the confusion surrounding the news and highlighted the administration’s thoughtless and harsh approach.

It was a bit disappointing because the positive feeling was disrupted when two players from the U.S. men’s hockey team unexpectedly joined comedian Shane Gillis onstage after his monologue, having just celebrated their Olympic win with FBI director Kash Patel. While the addition of players from the U.S. women’s team helped a little, Gillis’s monologue was genuinely charming and funny before the hockey players appeared. He showed a brief, family-friendly clip from his show, Heated Rivalry, and then talked about being surprised by his newfound fame, jokingly claiming it was always meant to be. He effortlessly switched between self-deprecating humor and confident declarations. Throughout the episode, Gillis seemed completely comfortable as a cast member, easily portraying relatable characters like athletes, class clowns, and everyday office workers – and he delivered each role with great timing and expression.

Okay, so this episode had a couple of weak spots – the “Mr. Fronzi” bit really didn’t land for me, and the sketch about making legs longer just fizzled out fast. But honestly, Storrie’s energy and positive vibe really saved it. They brought a playful spirit to everything, and that made the whole episode enjoyable despite those few duds.

Here are the highlights:

Ice Skating

https://youtube.com/watch?v=watch?v=BtSXvJCcXAE

It’s already awkward when a proposal goes wrong in public, but Casper (Tommy Brennan) and Candace (Veronika Slowikowska) face extra embarrassment because a group of guys are having a blast ice skating nearby. The setup is funny on its own, and it’s amusing to watch Casper get so distracted he eventually joins them. However, the highlight is definitely Storrie’s joyful delivery of lines like, “God, I love being in my forties.” The reveal that his character is Kendrick Lamar’s producer is delivered with such playful energy that it genuinely made me laugh out loud. Hudson Williams also appears as one of the excited skaters, a nice touch acknowledging his real-life friendship with Storrie (and likely a crowd-pleasing moment for the studio audience).

Tutoring the Cool Kid

https://youtube.com/watch?v=watch?v=RRxg2fGnEJ8

Okay, so there’s this high school movie, and it’s surprisingly great. It centers around Dirkus, a total nerd, who tutors the most popular kid, BJ. And it actually works! BJ ends up apologizing to Dirkus, which is already amazing, but then invites him to sit with the cool kids at lunch! The turning point is when Dirkus plays BJ a thank-you song – Marshall, who plays Dirkus, really goes for it with the performance, it’s a bit intense, honestly! You can totally see the regret on BJ’s face after hearing it. The movie also has these hilarious parents, played by Ashley Padilla and James Austin Johnson, who somehow win BJ over, even though they’re wonderfully weird. Honestly, there’s so much to enjoy. They have these incredibly funny lines, like one about Timothée Chalamet making it okay to pursue greatness, and another that perfectly captures the moment with the line, ‘You can still be a baddie, even if you’re a little quirked up.’ It’s just a really fun, well-done movie.

Weekend Update

https://youtube.com/watch?v=watch?v=2G6TNMB6Ppc

The jokes in Weekend Update are generally decent, especially considering some had to be quickly revised. However, the show’s character-driven segments are more engaging – Veronika Slowikowska’s portrayal of a maid of honor commenting on the news is a perfect example.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=watch?v=rLHlv_buMCQ

Sarah Sherman’s appearance as the mother of Punch the Monkey was the highlight of the Update segment. Her character, a neglectful mom supposedly from Long Island, was hilarious. The monkey suit with the bikini print, combined with Sherman playfully heckling the audience and trying to flirt with Colin Jost in a funny, strained voice, had me laughing throughout. Marcello Hernandez also made an appearance as Punch, carrying a large stuffed animal.

Office Dance

https://youtube.com/watch?v=watch?v=a4l56MunPHw

A quick office dance break – like the quirky world of the show Severance – is a great way to lift spirits. While Storrie really champions the idea, the sketch truly shines because of the whole cast working together. Some of the funniest moments include Andrew Dismukes stubbornly keeping his legs crossed even after his chair breaks, and Sarah Sherman’s character finally feeling relieved she doesn’t have to perform an embarrassing task anymore. James Austin Johnson’s nerdy, easily overheated character and Kenan Thompson’s subtly alcoholic one also add a lot of humor to the scene.

Stripper

https://youtube.com/watch?v=watch?v=uJAIEym5FvM

Storrie really shines in this sketch, performing a hilarious Russian accent as a stripper on his way to a bachelorette party who gets run over by a car. Many considered it the highlight of the night, likely because it builds on a character he’s developed before. He enters the scene dramatically, contorting his body in incredibly flexible and painful-looking ways. The bachelorette party isn’t exactly thrilled – one character tries to play along, but the sight of so much blood (and the fact that he literally dragged himself to her) ruins the mood. Storrie’s physical comedy is amazing and unsettling, and it’s impossible to look away. My only note at the end simply said, “butt up.”

Cut for Time

I thought Storrie’s extended thank you at the end of the show was really heartfelt. He seemed to truly enjoy himself this week and wanted to acknowledge everyone who contributed. Thanks to Donna and Jenna!

The *Bridgertonthemed sketch didn’t quite land as well as I’d hoped, which was surprising because the idea seemed promising. However, I really enjoyed the charming detail of Storrie and Day slowly removing their gloves, and the adorable addition of the little dog paw.

Okay, so this is a weird one. Apparently, some people online spotted that Hugh Laurie’s fly was undone during the famous ‘Office Dance’ sketch from House. It was likely just a wardrobe malfunction, honestly. But, you know how the internet is… some folks are suggesting it was a deliberate little wink to the… less savory corners of fandom. It’s probably nothing, but it’s definitely a talking point!

In the “Ice Skating” sketch, Storrie cleverly uses the imagery of both airplanes and trains to represent the contrasting sides of human nature.

Williams made a quick appearance during the “Ice Skating” segment and brought out Mumford and Sons with Storrie, which felt like a perfect moment. I was glad to see Williams (and I always enjoy seeing people from my hometown succeed creatively), but I also thought it was great that Storrie got to have their own moment in the spotlight. I really wish I could have gone to the party afterwards!

I was really disappointed they had to cut the “Car Song”! It was a hilarious song featuring Veronika Slowikowska and Jane Wickline about the frustrating experience of trying to exit a modern car with its unusual door handles. The line “Stop making cars hard” was both funny and true. I especially enjoyed how the song took a turn and became about confronting the person responsible for the problematic car doors, played by a wonderfully menacing Storrie.

Regarding time constraints, it was probably best the pre-taped segment about Tourette’s was cut. While it aimed to satirize celebrities who falsely claim to have Tourette’s to justify poor behavior, the confusing introduction unfortunately came across as insensitive to people who actually have the condition, even if that wasn’t the goal.

Looking back at 2012 – with things like that joke on Weekend Update, the ‘Mr. Fronzi’ sketch relying on a funny accent, and Mumford and Sons as the musical guest – it feels like a different world, and not one I’m eager to revisit. I remember wearing a blazer with jeans to my cousin’s wedding and being completely obsessed with South Park at the time.

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2026-03-01 22:56