Pedro Pascal has finally made it to the Studio 8H stage!

The 47-year-old actor made his hosting debut on Saturday Night Live over the weekend alongside musical guest Coldplay – and had everyone (including himself) bursting into laughter throughout the night. Kicking off the night, the sketch comedy series pulled a rare move and tackled a same-day political event in the cold open – the shooting down of a spy ballroom from China by the US military. Chloe Fineman played an MSNBC anchor, providing analysis to viewers about the incident with the help of Kenan Thompson as a Pentagon official and Bowen Yang as the balloon in question! Ch-ch-check it out (below):

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Rather than trying to be funny in the opening monologue, Pedro took a moment to express his gratitude for the career he has right now, starring in both The Mandalorian and The Last of Us. He also paid tribute to his family and got emotional when thanking his parents for bringing him and his sister to the US from Chile when they were kids. It was such a sweet and sincere moment to watch (below):

As for the main sketches during the episode? Following the opening pieces, SNL showed a prerecorded trailer for a dystopian version of Mario Kart in a parody of HBO’s adaptation of The Last of Us. And let’s just say, the graphics department worked overtime with this sketch, AND everyone now wants to see Pedro as Mario instead of Chris Pratt! See what happens (below):

Of course, the show could not have Pedro as the host without addressing all the thirsty fan edits about him on TikTok. In another skit, he plays the “favorite” high school teacher named Mr. Ben, who is giving a presentation on the new rules about technology use, which included banning students from making “fan cams” of teachers (specifically him). Pedro shows a series of fan-made video montages of him set to the tune of SZA’s viral song from a SNL sketch, “Cuffing Season,” and asks why they keep recording and creating this type of content. The students blame COVID and tell him they’ve dubbed him “daddy” while another teacher, Ms. Jenny, is “mommy.” Then, in walks the one and only Sarah Paulson! Check it out (below):

In probably the best sketch of the night, Pedro and friends are at an upscale restaurant to celebrate the birthday of Punkie Johnson’s character. Also joining the crew is the b-day girl’s younger sister Lisa, played by Ego Nwodim. However, the main star of the sketch? The “extra extra well done” steak that’s impossible to cut. We could not stop laughing – and neither could Pedro or Bowen, for that matter – as Ego attempted to cut her steak, shaking the whole table violently to the point that the peas and wine went flying. An amazing performance! Watch the entire group hilariously break character (below):

Some say Ego is still cutting that steak right now. LOLz!

Elsewhere, Coldplay returned to SNL for the seventh time as the musical guest and performed their single The Astronaut. The band then delivered an a cappella version of Human Heart, bringing on singer Jacob Collier and the chorus Jason Max Ferdinand Singers, before transitioning into their popular 2005 track Fix You. See the stellar performances (below):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64W30CcJqjA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPKbuDFC1Rs

So good!

What was your favorite moment from the episode, Perezcious readers? Thoughts on Pedro as the host? Let us know in the comments! You can also see the rest of the sketches from the show (below):

[Image via Saturday Night Live/YouTube]