Keke Palmer in Studio 8H
NBCKeke Palmer hosted the first December 2022 episode of Saturday Night Live (featuring musical guest SZA) and wasted no time getting into the impressionistic spirit of the late-night sketch comedy show. Her monologue included her recounting a story about Laurence Fishburne yelling at her on the set of Akeelah and the Bee, as well as advice Aziz Ansari gave her about stepping into Studio 8H, and both stories had her slipping into their signature voices in the retelling.
"When I first got into comedy and I dreamed of standing on this stage, I asked myself, 'Keke, who will you be? Will you be like a Maya Rudolph, Eddie Murphy, Kristen Wiig-type?' And now that I'm here, I can tell you exactly who I am: Baby, I'm Keke Palmer."
But she also used the opportunity to confirm rumors that she is pregnant, making her the rare host to actually deliver news on that stage, which pretty much proves her point of how unique she is.
From there, the actor and singer went on to appear in sketches that included a fictional 1980s soap opera titled Forcington's Ridge; an appeal to other women Drake may have dated, flirted with at a party, talked to on Instagram and then referenced in a song (yes, that is shade for "In My Feelings"); a fake commercial for Arby's; and a music video for cuffing season.
Forcington's Ridge saw Palmer's character got into a fight with Cecily Strong's character. The two were long-time rivals who commented on each other's love lives, the state of their homes, and the looks they were serving, but it didn't take long for things to get physical. This meant stunt people stepped in for the SNL star and host, which led to memorable gaffs when the camera didn't cut away from the stunt to Strong's close-up quickly enough and when Strong kept jerking her head as if she was getting punched, but the punch sound effect stopped short — though whether it was intentional for SNL as a comment on the quality of soap operas was not entirely clear.