Dua Lipa raises the stage on Saturday night, putting forward an electrifying performance live from the New York City.
Making her debut as host on “Saturday Night Live,” the 28-year-old “Training Season” singer also came in as the musical guest, following the release of her recent album, “Radical Optimism,” just a day before.
Appreciating her parents, who’ve been unwaveringly supportive, Lipa acknowledged their presence in the studio audience during her monologue.
During her opening speech, Dua Lipa jokingly addressed various online jokes about her, including the popular “go girl, give us nothing” meme, originating from a critique of her performance energy. Turning the tables, she humorously declared, “I didn’t give you nothing: I gave you the greatest meme of all time,” promising to give her all during the show.
Reflecting on the impact of the meme, Lipa revealed in a January interview with Rolling Stone that it had been particularly painful.
In her monologue, Lipa also poked fun at perceptions of her always going on vacation, quipping, “Totally wrong, because I’m British, so we call it a holiday.”
Meanwhile, the opening sketch of “Saturday Night Live” came for the recent student protests at Columbia University over the conflict in Gaza.
Kenan Thompson portrayed the father of a Columbia student, initially expressing pride in youth activism before revealing his own hypocritical stance on his daughter’s involvement.
Thompson’s character humorously noted that his daughter wasn’t advocating for “free this, free that,” remarking, “I tell you what ain’t free: Columbia.”
The Columbia protests were further lampooned during the “Weekend Update” segment, with co-anchor Michael Che joking about the university’s officials complaining about property damage, drawing a parallel to college celebrations like the Final Four.
