Dear Gossips,

How was Adele for you?

She pulled in solid ratings for Saturday Night Live this past weekend – not a surprise since she was already trending well before the episode started. And right off the top, though she claimed she was nervous, she seemed comfortable and relaxed during the monologue, immediately addressing and then dismissing the two big questions most people had coming into the show: her album and her body, acknowledging that, yes, she looks different, and that’s that.

As for new music…

Despite all the rumours and all the speculation, Adele says it’s not ready yet. So instead she sang a few bars from a few of her biggest hits in the Bachelor sketch, which was her way of getting around performing. And of course social media had a meltdown because she sounded so f-cking good and so f-cking effortlessly.

How did she do overall then? Overall she confirmed what most people expected – Adele is a good host, she’s a game host, she’s a natural at reading cue cards and delivering her lines, she’s a magnetic presence… even when the material wasn’t always up to standard. The psychic sketch, for example, was good. The divorced white ladies going to Eat, Pray, Love in Africa was problematic. It’s not that it wasn’t obvious who was the target of the “joke” (the white ladies), Black men still ended up being used as props to be objectified while the three white women articulated long-held stereotypes as Adele repeatedly broke character on the same episode that saw musical guest H.E.R. raise awareness for #EndSARS during one of her performances. That was a major disconnect for me.

So will she be invited back? Of course. Lots.

It was obvious from even before the show started that SNL loves Adele and that no doubt they’ll get her to the five-timers club as soon as they can. Which is what John Mulaney is quickly approaching. He’s hosting again next weekend for the Halloween episode. But the big question mark is the host for the week after that, the episode immediately after the US election.

Four years ago, that job went to Dave Chappelle and his opening monologue is considered by some to be one of the best ever in the show’s history. Looking back it’s hard to imagine anyone else taking that on. I wonder who it’ll be by the time November 3 is over. Could it be Dave Chappelle again? Should it be Dave Chappelle again? Especially when you consider the way he ended that monologue? In the generous spirit of hope and giving that person a chance – and what that person has done with his chance?

Yours in gossip,

Lainey

Dave Chappelle Gossip

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