Depending on who you talk to, last week’s episode of Saturday Night Live was either one of the show’s greatest installments in recent memory, or total garbage. In fact, it’s hard to remember the last time there was an episode of TV this polarizing, based on how viewers are talking about it on social media. And it’s all thanks to Saltburn and Euphoria star Jacob Elordi.
Elordi hosted on Jan. 20, SNL’s first new episode of the year. When the show announced that Elordi—and fellow Gen-Z favorite Reneé Rapp—was to appear on the show, anticipation was immediately fierce. To much of the internet, Elordi is The Moment: a tall, lanky, pretty-eyed, Australian-accented, traditionally hot dude whose droll humor and seeming sensitivity are obsession-worthy. (Also, we must reiterate how tall he is; being 6-foot-5 is very important to Elordi’s appeal.) In other words, he is the definition of “babygirl,” and his fanbase must protect him at all costs.
But for those who are a bit too old for Euphoria—where he plays the underage womanizer Nate Jacobs—or haven’t made Saltburn their entire personality, Elordi’s hosting gig brought questions and/or concerns. Who is this guy? And is he even capable of being funny? He certainly doesn’t crack jokes in Euphoria or Priscilla, the recent Sofia Coppola film where he played Elvis Presley.