Timothée Chalamet Embraced “Shameless Self-Promotion” In His SNL Return

As the first host of Saturday Night Live following the SAG-AFTRA strike, Timothée Chalamet got to take advantage of being able to plug his acting projects again. The Wonka star wasted no time in reminding viewers that his latest film is coming soon — and he did so in song. Chalamet’s SNL monologue included his own version of “Pure Imagination” that comedically ushered in a return to “shameless self-promotion.”

“It’s OK, I can say,” he sang, adding straight to the camera, “that my new film Wonka is out in theaters on Dec. 15. … Fandango.com, keyword: D*mn, Hugh Grant got that oompa loompa dump truck!”

His song also joked about the AI protections secured by the actors’ strike and “the return of America’s favorite industry: Hollywood.” And though he was soon interrupted mid-bar by SNL cast member Marcello Hernández, that wasn’t the end of Chalamet’s musical monologue.

Baby-Faced Dudes Unite

Hernández thought Chalamet’s “old-timey stuff” was “cute and everything,” but he wanted to bond over the fact that they both have a baby face. That soon turned into a hilarious rap duet, later joined by Punkie Johnson in a Nicki Minaj-inspired pink wig and the eternally young-looking Kenan Thompson (real age: 45!).

“This song is dedicated to all the baby-faced dudes out there,” Chalamet began. Hernández chimed in to name some of the more famous ones, shouting out Justin Bieber and Bruno Mars. Then they really got going, and the lyrics turned out to be on the raunchy side.

“I got a baby face, but my hips don’t lie,” they rapped. “Say I’m a bad kid, b*tch, I’m a bad guy. I got a baby face, but I’m hung like my dad. Trust me, baby, this be the best you ever had.”

Second-Time Reactions

On Saturday’s show, Chalamet officially became a two-time SNL host, as he also mentioned while he opened the show. His first episode was in December 2020, though, so this was his first getting the more typical experience. He made the most of it, and one of his memorable sketches saw him playing a “gay famous” internet star: “Australian YouTube twink-turned-indie pop star and model-turned-HBO actor Troye Sivan being played by an American actor who can’t do an Australian accent.” Boygenius members Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker, and Lucy Dacus even joined in, and the four recreated some of Sivan’s choreography, including the red underwear flashes.

Sivan approved of the sketch, posting it on Instagram with the caption, “WHY IS LIFE SO WEIRDDDDD RN LMAO IM DEAD.” He also wrote, “Pure shock,” in a story and changed his Instagram bio photo to one of Chalamet as him. Many fans also applauded it, with one writing, “still can’t believe we got a skit with timothée chalamet and boygenius dressed up and dancing as troye sivan.”

More controversial, on the other hand, was the “Jumper” sketch Chalamet did with Please Don’t Destroy. Both he and Saturday Night Live took criticism for a joke about him accidentally naming his fictional band Hamas and the situation involving a suicide. “snl watering down the significance of the actors’ strike on top of the tone-deaf [jokes] about hamas really is a huge disappointment,” one viewer wrote. “and with timothee chalamet as host? hot damn.”

SNL airs on Saturdays at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.