Saturday Night Live’s first episode back from the Christmas break was filled with quite a few fun little surprises. More specifically, it was overflowing with cameos. Some of them, like host Finn Wolfhard’s longtime Stranger Things cast members Gaten Matarazzo and Caleb McLaughlin, were delightful but not altogether shocking. Others like Sabrina Carpenter and Jason Momoa, however, felt like they came from the Upside Down.
Momoa’s appearance in particular was a doubletake situation. He randomly appeared in a fake trailer for a Harry Potter and Heated Rivalry crossover called Heated Wizardry. Thankfully, SNL gave him the perfect character to play: Hagrid. Momoa’s obviously no stranger to facial hair, and he’s got that Hagrid-like size and rugged masculinity to pull the role off. Given the subject matter, however, he takes the groundskeeper in a much sassier, “old queen” direction. You can watch the sketch that is quickly going viral in full below…
I’m always here for a good sex pun, and I’m especially here for ones taking a shot at Neville Longbottom, who is my least favorite character in the entire Harry Potter Universe. I’m also here for any and all unexpected Jason Momoa cameos. He is an absolute delight, and I love how he always jumps into the deep end and just goes with any subject matter he’s given. He’s like a host version of Kenan Thompson, who coincidentally is also fantastic here as Mad-Eye Moody.
Harry Potter is, of course, not exactly new subject matter for Saturday Night Live. The show has gone to Hogwarts and its surrounding world numerous times in the past and even once dressed up the recently departed Bowen Yang in an elf costume that would not stay on. Perhaps the most famous example of the show getting its wizard on is Lindsay Lohan’s famous Hermione’s Growth Spurt sketch, which is one of the most watched sketches in the show’s history.
One of SNL’s strongest attributes has always been the willingness of celebrities to appear on the show. Obviously showrunner Lorne Michaels has been able to pull A-list guest hosts throughout its run, but there are also thousands of examples of random celebrities stopping by to cameo as a celebrity or just to appear in a random sketch. It adds a fun, unpredictable element to the show, as you never know who might show up.
Sabrina Carpenter was the other completely out of left field example this week. She reprised her role in the recurring favorite Snack Homiez, much to the delight of her fans who got to see her play the same teenage boy role when she hosted earlier this season. She’ll definitely be back again at some point in the future.
I'm sure Momoa will be back again too. He's hosted the show twice and made a handful of additional cameos. He's clearly a favorite of the writing staff and the fanbase. Fingers crossed next time he comes back, we'll get him as some more unexpected pop culture characters.
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