Last night was a great one for Chance the Rapper — not only did he host Saturday Night Live for the second time, but he doubled as the show’s musical guest. And as enjoyable as it was to watch his performances (and that Megan Thee Stallion cameo), no one had a better time than Chance himself. In at least three sketches, the rapper visibly broke character trying to conceal laughs.
In one of his first sketches, Chance played a “First Impressions Court” judge: his job was to decide whether a defendant is guilty within 10 seconds. His thoughts on Kenan Thompson’s character? Definitely guilty. His thoughts on a “male exotic dancer,” played by Bowen Yang wearing a wig and a pink coat? “Next case! Guilty,” Chance said between laughs. The camera panned to his face, which he covered, shaking his head.
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Jason Momoa made him laugh the hardest, though. Momoa guest-starred as a smooth-talking thief who seduces older women (namely, an elderly Kate McKinnon) and then steals their cash — and sometimes their earrings, which he uses as nipple tassels. Once Momoa ripped his jacket off, the game was over. “Guilty,” Chance decided, laughing again.
This wasn’t the only moment that got to the rapper, though. Later on in the show, Chance played one of five dancers learning how to boogie from a mysterious professor (Thompson) harboring a secret identity as a werewolf. Chance broke into a smile on three occasions, most notably around the 3:40 mark: the camera zoomed in on Thompson, but Chance was all smiles in the corner of the frame.
Next up was a romantic moment between Chance and Jennifer (Cecily Strong), an unlucky-in-love woman out with friends. When the two met and fell in love at first sight, they both began floating — and knocking over every item within a few feet of distance. Not only was Chance unable to contain the laughter, but Strong broke character, too. Like true professionals, they masked their giggles, incorporating the silliness into the sketch and giving us one of the season’s most bizarre SNL moments yet.
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