My New Favorite Recurring SNL Skit: What Up With That?

SNL has been pretty hit or miss this season, but we just saw a rerun of the Joseph Gordon-Levitt and I realized how much I love the Keenan Thompson-starring What Up With That? skits. They’re pretty simple and the same almost every time. Keenan is the host of a BET talk show. There’s always three guests, two of which are real celebs (not the hosts) playing themselves and then Bill Hader playing Fleetwood Mac frontman Lindsey Buckingham. Keenan keeps breaking into song, getting inspired by whatever the first guest is talking about all the while, more and more people jump out dancing, singing or playing instruments. My favorite is Jason Sudekis who is always decked out in a red Adidas track suit and doing 80s hip hop moves. It’s fairly nonsensical, but it kills me every time. Here are all three skits available on Hulu in chronological order.

Of course, the very first clip actually ruins my above description because only James Franco plays himself in this one from October 17th which Gerard Butler hosted. This was the first one I ever saw and it killed me.

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Here’s the episode from the Joseph Gordon-Levitt hosted episode on November 21st. Al Gore and Mindy Kaling from The Office are the guests.

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This is actually the dress rehearsal from the episode that premiered on December 19th. This was the James Franco episode and the talkshow guests are Mike Tyson and 30 Rock’s Jack McBrayer. I used the footage from the dress rehearsal because it has some sick dance movies by Tyson himself.

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3 thoughts on “My New Favorite Recurring SNL Skit: What Up With That?

  1. Oh lordie, Megan and I were just watching the Joseph Gordon-Levitt ep re-run last night and commenting how fucking fantastic this skit is. I lose my shit every time. Keenan has really come into his own this season, as he may only be able to play a few characters, but he plays them incredibly well. Everybody who though he was just a black Horatio Sanz (myself included) was very wrong.

    1. I’m kind of shocked we agree on an SNL skit! It’s just so well put together with so many strange little touches. Mike Tyson sitting next to Kenneth from 30 Rock. The announcer guy’s clothes. The chorus of people usually thrown in towards the beginning (a gospel choir in one, a group of little Keenans in another). Whatever random celebrity impersonation like John Stockton or Jake “The Snake” Roberts. I love it. Don’t want to see it EVERY episode, but when it’s on, I’m not leaving the couch.

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