‘SNL’ season 46 premiere: Top five moments of the night

‘Saturday Night Live’ premiered its 46th season on October 3, marking their first return to the studio after the coronavirus pandemic forced a shutdown. With Chris Rock hosting, Jim Carrey joining the cast and Megan Thee Stallion delivering a strong message, the episode had many stand-out moments. Here are the five top moments of the night.

Chris Rock hosts the first episode post-lockdown: Stand-up comedian Chris Rock was tasked with reviving SNL post-COVID-19 shutdown. At the end of season 45, the pandemic forced SNL to switch to airing “at-home” episodes rather than recording at the longstanding Studio 8H. Rock’s performance was mostly political although his monologue focused largely around the coronavirus pandemic and its impact in America.

Jim Carrey began his run as Joe Biden: We’ve all seen Alec Baldwin as US President Trump on Saturday Night Live, but now Jim Carrey has come onboard as Democratic candidate Joe Biden. Actress Maya Rudolph stepped in as Biden’s right hand woman and running mate Kamala Harris, the current Democratic vice presidential nominee. The performances, as usual with SNL, received mixed reviews from viewers. However, many of Carrey’s fans were happy to see the veteran comedian on the show, with one Twitter user writing: “I hope Joe Biden wins so we get at least 4 years of Jim Carrey on SNL.”

Megan Thee Stallion sent a strong message: Houston rapper Megan Thee Stallion sent a strong message to Breonna Taylor’s attorney general as part of her appearance as the musical guest. Before her performance of her hit track ‘Savage’, she called out Daniel Cameron, the Attorney General of Kentucky, days after Cameron said that he did not recommend murder charges against the police officers who killed Taylor to the grand jury, but that he presented a “thorough” case. Thee Stallion, who was recently shot by rapper Tory Lanez, threw her fist into the air and stated, “We need to protect our Black women and love our Black women, because at the end of the day, we need our Black women.”

Harry Styles made a strange cameo: Even Harry Styles managed to make a cameo on this week’s premiere. He appeared inside of a thought bubble as Carrey’s Joe Biden plugged in his earphones to listen to his ‘new Harry Styles meditation tape’. Styles delivered a soothing monologue, telling him, “We dip our toes in cold wet sand and sit and face the sea. We let the waves wash over us, alone, just you and me.” This was likely a poke at Styles’ real-life bedtime stories, which he earlier this year recorded for the meditation app Calm.

Kate McKinnon paid tribute to Ruth Bader Ginsburg: The season premiere saw Kate McKinnon wearing a black robe and rounded glasses in a nod to the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died on September 19. It seems like this may be McKinnon retiring the character, after having played Ginsburg for several years. During the ‘Weekend Update’ segment, the camera panned to show McKinnon’s Ginsburg in the audience; after she tapped her right hand to her chest, the show faded to a “rest in power” graphic.