Nikki Glaser’s ‘SNL’ lacks the edge her comedy is known for

A comedian hosting SNL always comes with a ton of promise. On paper, they should be able to knock it out of the park, coming into the show with a background full of live experience and able to write their own material.

That’s not always the case, though.

Sometimes you get Dave Chappelle, who I’m pretty sure forgets that he’s on SNL after appearing in maybe one or two sketches. Sometimes you get Shane Gillis, who is incapable of modifying his material to fit SNL’s audience.

But then there are the times a comedian like Nate Bargatze hosts SNL and lands an instantly iconic sketch. (That he unfortunately can’t stop repeating any other time he’s on live TV.)

Nikki Glaser’s first time hosting SNL was nowhere near the duds that we’ve gotten from Chappelle or Gillis — but I wouldn’t say this was an episode that’ll have us wondering when she’s going to host again.

Glaser was an enthusiastic SNL host, reportedly taking advice from her dad to not rely on the cue cards. She never seemed out of place or stilted in a sketch, but beyond the monologue, SNL sanded down the edges of Glaser’s persona that have made her a star. Not a single roast bit!

Going back to Bargatze, SNL knows how to lean into a comedian’s on-stage vibes. In both of his episodes, the show relied on his cadence and demeanor to drive sketches and elevate them to the next level. (And I know it’s not cool to compliment Dane Cook in 2025, but “Turtleneck” is the textbook example of how SNL best translates a comedian’s energy into a sketch when they’re hosting.)

I could more easily forgive SNL for not maximizing a host’s potential if the tradeoff was that we got an episode where the cast really broke through, but after a few weeks of watching Ashley Padilla turn SNL into her showcase (the team over at The SNL Network noted that she’s the “first featured player to lead the cast in sketch appearances four episodes into a season,”) there was nowhere near enough of the sophomore cast member in Glaser’s episode. Andrew Dismukes had a few good moments, at least.

Not sure if everyone saw this, but I got an Alexa ad featuring Glaser during one of the earlier commercial breaks. It took me a second to figure out whether it was a real commercial or an SNL pretape.

COLD OPEN

Oval Office Press Conference Cold Open

When I first saw James Austin Johnson do the “I’m gonna break the fourth wall” bit as Donald Trump again, I groaned. But then there was something different about this cold open. Johnson has previously talked about tweaking his take on Trump, and we might’ve seen a bit sharper version here.

• “The good news is your family isn’t coming because the planes are gone”: This cold open had a stream of digs like this.

THE MONOLOGUE

If a comedian is hosting SNL, you can expect them to kick off their monologue holding a microphone. Glaser was no exception, launching into a standup routine that ran for roughly five to seven minutes. Perhaps a longer monologue than normal, but nowhere near the case when someone like Chappelle hosts the show and uses half of its airtime for his monologue.