Timothée Chalamet made a splash as a first-time Saturday Night Live host on the December 12 episode. Saturday night's episode is the second in a trio of new December episodes airing before the SNL cast breaks for the Christmas holidays. While Chalamet hosted the December 12 episode, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band appeared as the musical guest.
One of the biggest moments of the night was what some are interpreting as Chalamet's veiled jab at Warner Bros.' decision to release its 2021 slate on HBO Max the same day each of its movies in the slate debuts in theaters. The decision has garnered widespread criticism across the industry. Warner Bros.' favorite son, Christopher Nolan, vehemently rejected the move as well as Dune director Denis Villeneuve, whose movie is affected by this decision. Just a few days after the shocking announcement, Villeneuve publicly slammed the deal, remarking, "Streaming can produce great content, but not movies of Dune’s scope and scale. Warner Bros.' decision means Dune won’t have the chance to perform financially in order to be viable and piracy will ultimately triumph. Warner Bros. might just have killed the Dune franchise."
As the December 12 episode closed and Chalamet gathered with the SNL cast to give the traditional send-off, the actor appeared to show solidarity with his Dune director by wearing a Legendary Entertainment sweatshirt. (Legendary is one of the studios behind Dune). Thrillist senior entertainment writer Esther Zuckerman tweeted out a video of Chalamet in the sweatshirt, noting the possibility this was the actor's way of giving his two cents on the matter.
The timing of Chalamet's hosting gig lines up with the original December 2020 theatrical release date for Dune. This is likely why SNL had locked Chalamet in for that date in the first place. However, a few release date delays and ultimately HBO Max's announcement that Dune would debut on the streamer the same day it opened in theaters means the circumstances aligned for Chalamet to comment on Dune — just not in the way we expected.
Before Chalamet's subtle yet effective Dune statement, he was able to deliver some top-notch comedy to the masses. It was refreshing to see the young star lean into his comedic abilities over the course of his SNL episode. Often, Chalamet is a moody presence onscreen and thrives in dramas; on Saturday night, he was having a ball just hamming it up. One of his strongest sketches of the night was "Sportsmax," which saw he and SNL black sheep Pete Davidson play avid New York Jets fans turn into pundits on an alternative news channel and argue for their beloved football team. Other highlights included Chalamet's opening monologue about his childhood Christmases in New York City, a song about a miniature horse, and a baking competition where one contestant submits a very, erm, interesting cake.
Saturday Night Live airs Saturdays at 11:30 pm ET/8:30 pm PT on NBC. Catch up on last night's episode with more sketches featuring Timothée Chalamet. For more, see Kate McKinnon's return as Dr. Wenowdis to "Weekend Update."