Lois Larson
John Mulaney hosted the Saturday Night Live (SNL) sketch Airport Sushi, which also featured comedians Chris Redd, Pete Davidson, Cecily Strong, Beck Bennett, Kate McKinnon, and Kenan Thompson. The sketch also included surprise cameo performances by actors Jake Gyllenhaal and David Byrne, with the latter also serving as the show's musical guest.
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What You'll Learn
John Mulaney hosts
John Mulaney hosted Saturday Night Live (SNL) in 2020, creating the sketch 'Airport Sushi'. This was his third time hosting the show, having previously been an SNL writer for six seasons. The sketch was a musical set in LaGuardia Airport, featuring a host of SNL cast members and special guests.
Mulaney played a cashier at the airport, with Chris Redd and Pete Davidson as customers. Other SNL cast members included Cecily Strong as a sushi chef, Kenan Thompson as the Phantom of LaGuardia, a tortured-looking goose, Chloe Fineman as a flight attendant, and Alex Moffat as a rat. Kate McKinnon played Auntie Orphan Annie, with a rendition of 'Tomorrow' that brought in New York Mayor Bill de Blasio. Beck Bennett played a crying baby, and cast member Bowen Yang had a cameo as a profiled Asian-American, referencing the coronavirus and racial profiling.
There were also special guests, including Jake Gyllenhaal, who sang an ode to getting attention from the TSA, dressed in pyjamas and suspended on wires. David Byrne, the musical guest for the evening, played a baggage handler, parodying his Talking Heads song 'Road to Nowhere' as 'Plane to Nowhere'.
The sketch was well-received, with fans praising Mulaney's performance and signature musical sketch style.
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Coronavirus and LaGuardia Airport mocked
In the February 29, 2020 episode of Saturday Night Live, the comedy show took aim at the coronavirus and New Yorkers' disdain for LaGuardia Airport in a sketch titled "Airport Sushi". The sketch featured guest host and former SNL writer John Mulaney, who played a cashier at LaGuardia Airport. The sketch began with Chris Redd and Pete Davidson's characters buying yogurt and water, before deciding to add sushi to their order. The sketch then took an absurd turn, with the appearance of the "
The sketch also included a cameo by Jake Gyllenhaal, who was suspended on wires and dressed in pajamas, singing an ode to getting attention from the TSA to the tune of "Defying Gravity" from Wicked. Other cast members who joined in the songs included Cecily Strong as the sushi chef, Kate McKinnon as Auntie Orphan Annie, Beck Bennett as a crying baby, and Bowen Yang as a profiled Asian-American. The sketch also featured a parody of Talking Heads' song "Road to Nowhere," with David Byrne, the musical guest for the evening, playing a baggage handler who tosses everyone's luggage into Long Island Sound.
The "Airport Sushi" sketch was the third in a trilogy of musical parodies by Mulaney, following "Diner Lobster" and "Bodega Bathroom." It received praise from fans, who enjoyed the zany and elaborate nature of the sketch, as well as Mulaney's performance as host. The sketch also addressed issues of coronavirus racial profiling, with Yang's character singing, "No, I wasn't in Parasite. I know the virus is bad, but it's coming from Italy, too."
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Cameos from Jake Gyllenhaal, David Byrne, and Kate McKinnon
The "Airport Sushi" sketch from Saturday Night Live features surprise cameo performances from Jake Gyllenhaal, David Byrne, and Kate McKinnon. The sketch is a musical parody that tackles the horrors of air travel, particularly at LaGuardia Airport, and the coronavirus.
Gyllenhaal, dressed in pyjamas, sings an ode to getting attention from the TSA to the tune of "Defying Gravity" from Wicked. His character is a man who travels in his pyjamas.
Byrne, the musical guest for the evening, plays a baggage handler who tosses everyone's luggage into Long Island Sound. He leads the cast in a parody of his own Talking Heads song "Road to Nowhere", aptly changed to "Plane to Nowhere".
McKinnon portrays Auntie Orphan Annie and sings a rendition of "Tomorrow" ("de Blasio"), which includes digs at Mayor Bill de Blasio and the strange intricacies of LaGuardia's set-up.
The sketch also stars John Mulaney, who plays the cashier at LaGuardia Airport. Chris Redd and Pete Davidson play customers who buy yogurt and water, and later, sushi. Kenan Thompson is the "Phantom of LaGuardia", a tortured-looking goose, and Cecily Strong plays the sushi chef.
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Parodies of West Side Story, Annie, and Phantom of the Opera
John Mulaney's "Airport Sushi" sketch on Saturday Night Live included parodies of West Side Story, Annie, and Phantom of the Opera. The sketch, which aired on February 29, 2020, featured Mulaney as a cashier at LaGuardia Airport, with Chris Redd and Pete Davidson as customers. The sketch included a surprise cameo by Jake Gyllenhaal, who sang an ode to getting attention from the TSA to the tune of "Defying Gravity" from Wicked.
In the sketch, Kenan Thompson played the "Phantom of LaGuardia," a tortured-looking goose, parodying "The Phantom of the Opera." Cecily Strong played the sushi chef, and together they sang about the horrors that would come after consuming the airport sushi. This was a direct parody of "The Phantom of the Opera," with Thompson in a traditional suit and mask, with the addition of wings, feathers, and a beak.
Kate McKinnon appeared as Auntie Orphan Annie, parodying the character of Annie. She sang a rendition of "Tomorrow" ("de Blasio"), dragging Mayor Bill de Blasio into the sketch and discussing the strange intricacies of LaGuardia Airport.
Mulaney, Strong, and Thompson also performed a rendition of "America" ("LaGuardia") from "West Side Story," discussing the quirks of LaGuardia Airport. They were joined by Chloe Fineman as a flight attendant and Alex Moffat as a rat, singing about the horrors of consuming airport sushi.
The "Airport Sushi" sketch was well-received by fans, who praised Mulaney's signature musical sketch style and the hilarious timing and direction of the sketch. It tackled the horrors of air travel and coronavirus racial profiling, with various nods to other musicals and plays like Parasite, Little Shop of Horrors, and Les Misérables.
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Racial profiling addressed
The Saturday Night Live sketch "Airport Sushi" tackled the issue of racial profiling in the context of the coronavirus pandemic. The sketch featured cast member Bowen Yang, who played an Oscar-winning flick Parasite and addressed the negative stereotype attached to Asians over the virus. Yang sang, "No, I wasn't in Parasite. I know the virus is bad, but it's coming from Italy, too," dispelling the myth that Asians were solely to blame for the virus's spread.
The sketch also took aim at LaGuardia Airport and the questionable quality of its sushi. It started with John Mulaney, playing the cashier, and Chris Redd and Pete Davidson as customers. Davidson's character opts for a cup of yogurt and a bottle of water, then adds a spicy tuna roll to his order. Mulaney's character is horrified at the decision, setting the tone for the sketch's critique of airport sushi.
As the sketch progresses, it becomes more elaborate with more characters joining in. Cecily Strong plays the sushi chef, and Kenan Thompson portrays the "Phantom of LaGuardia," a tortured-looking goose. The sketch includes parodies of songs from well-known musicals, such as "Phantom of the Opera," "West Side Story," and "Annie."
The segment concludes with an appearance by David Byrne, the musical guest for the evening, who plays a baggage handler. Byrne leads the ensemble in a parody rendition of his own Talking Heads song, "Road to Nowhere," aptly changed to "Plane to Nowhere."
The "Airport Sushi" sketch on SNL effectively addressed racial profiling of Asian Americans during the coronavirus pandemic through humour and musical numbers. It also satirized the less-than-desirable qualities of airport sushi and the overall airport experience, particularly at LaGuardia Airport.
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Frequently asked questions
John Mulaney hosted the SNL Airport Sushi sketch.
The sketch featured Chris Redd, Pete Davidson, Cecily Strong, Kate McKinnon, Beck Bennett, Jake Gyllenhaal, David Byrne, and Kenan Thompson.
The sketch was about the horrors of air travel, specifically at LaGuardia Airport, and included digs at airport sushi.
Songs parodied in the sketch included "Phantom of the Opera", "America" from "West Side Story", "Tomorrow" from "Annie", and "Road to Nowhere" by Talking Heads.
John Mulaney played the cashier at LaGuardia Airport.
