Lizzo Is Worried She’s Too Much Of A “Smiley, Laughy B*tch” For Her SNL Gig

No, Lizzo won’t need a clone to pull double duty as Saturday Night Live’s host and musical guest on April 16, but the prospect might have eased some pre-show jitters. During a recent interview with SiriusXM’s The Morning Mash Up, the three-time Grammy winner informed host Ryan Sampson that it was most definitely not her idea to fill both roles. “Um, it’s actually terrifying, so no,” Lizzo answered when he posed the question. “I don’t want to say I don’t want it ’cause if I didn’t want it, I wouldn’t do it. I don’t do nothing I don’t want to do. But it is a tall order. I’m nervous.”

In fact, there’s one aspect in particular — and a specific SNL cast member — contributing most to her anxiety. “You know what I’m most nervous of is laughing,” the “Rumors” singer added. “I got to do at least one sketch where I’m in character. I’m such a smiley, laughy b*tch. Like, I don’t know if I’m going to be able to take anybody serious. Like Kate McKinnon looking at me — like, how can you keep a straight face?”

Lizzo had already acknowledged how much the SNL gig meant to her, upon arriving in New York City on April 11, tweeting, “This ain’t even bucket list... This is beyond my dreams. I’m shaking.” (Though she previously served as musical guest in 2019, this will be her first time hosting.) Leading up to the live broadcast, Lizzo also tweeted that she’d already been “crackin up” in rehearsals, and even clapped back at a troll who suggested her episode would “suck hard.” Though she knew she’d be “in good hands” with the “very funny” SNL writers, she also pitched some of her own sketch ideas, after crowd-sourcing on social media.

Lizzo’s SNL job kicks off what is sure to be a busy summer. After premiering her Prime Video reality competition series, Watch Out for the Big Grrrls on March 25, she also launched a shapewear brand called Yitty on April 12 and dropped her new single, “About Damn Time,” two days later. The self-anointed “song of the summer” is part of her second full-length major-label studio album, Special, which she’s planning to release on July 15.

While promoting her new track on Apple Music 1’s New Music Daily with Zane Lowe, Lizzo explained that the song can “lead into so many conversations” this year. “It’s about damn time I feel better, it’s about damn time we get out of this pandemic. It’s about damn time we get the first Black female Supreme Court Justice,” she said, referencing Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s historic confirmation. “There’s so many things. It’s about damn time we popped the champagne. It’s about damn time the tequila got here.”

But first, she’ll surely be toasting to a successful SNL run.