The Dec. 14 episode of the renowned variety show ‘Saturday Night Live’ witnessed Chris Rock as the host. He kicked off the event with an opening monologue brimming with laughter drawn from an array of current happenings. Industries and personalities from boxing to business were on his comedic radar for the night.
Among those on his humor-hit list was Jake Paul. The young influencer has lately taken up boxing, a peculiar choice Rock pointed out. His recent boxing bout with the legendary Mike Tyson was a source of amusement for many, Rock did not hesitate to add his take.
Rock comically questioned ‘Who is this Jake Paul, anyway?’ drawing attention to the stark age difference between Paul and Tyson. For Rock, a 27-year-old squaring up to punch a 60-year-old seemed almost absurd, a sentiment he conveyed humorously during his monologue.
He further quipped, ‘Is this how low we’ve sunk? Cut it out!’ His disbelief was palpable as he extrapolated on Paul’s future opponents. In jest, he proposed, ‘What’s next, is he going to take on Morgan Freeman? I can’t tolerate Jake Paul.’
Diving into more serious matters, it was the shocking demise of UnitedHealthcare’s top executive, Brian Thompson, that was next on his stand-up routine. Rock expressed his heartfelt sympathy for the bereaved family, emphasizing the personal impact of such a tragic loss.
Rock criticized the excessive focus on the perpetrator’s attractiveness, stating, ‘All everyone seems to care about is how handsome this guy is.’ He scoffed at the public’s leniency towards the murderer due to aesthetic considerations and made a provocative comparison.
Rock conjured a hypothetical scenario, positing, ‘If he resembled Jonah Hill, nobody would bat an eyelid. They would’ve already assigned execution as his fate — no questions asked.’ He stressed the gravity of the crime, reminding viewers that it cost the life of a family man.
Among political subjects, the incoming president, Trump’s vigorous deportation policy, was also roasted by Rock. He made a sly comment on the Menendez brothers and their unfortunate timing of being released from prison.
In a humorous reference to the notorious brothers’ release, he sarcastically noted, ‘Seems like they’re just out of jail in the nick of time to be deported.’ In his characteristic style, Rock suggested, ‘Trump is literally going to kick them out.’
Elon Musk, the business tycoon, and tech innovator, was not exempted from Rock’s sharp wit either. He added a funny spin to Musk’s collaboration with a prominent individual from the African American community, evidently a source of pride to many.
He expressed his thoughts on Musk by sharing, ‘He’s associated with the preeminent African American, the richest among them: Elon Musk. Yes, you heard that right. He himself is an African American. Musk boasts of a larger family than the Cleveland Browns. Exactly, you heard that right.’