Nate Bargatze Nailed His First Hosting Stint on “Saturday Night Live”

Having Nate Bargatze host the Halloween episode of Saturday Night Live surely made comedy fans perk up. Despite not being a massive A-list household name, the reality is that Bargatze is selling out arenas worldwide as a stand-up. That exposure - and his comedy background - made him an ideal host for the iconic sketch show. And despite not having displayed much acting or sketch work in the past, Bargatze didn’t disappoint.

Joined by musical guest, Foo Fighters, and a cameo by Christopher Walken, the show was the best we’ve seen yet this season. Here are some of our favorite moments below.

This week took an interesting turn, as Mikey Day took over Joe Biden duties from James Austin Johnson, who received lots of acclaim for his portrayal. This cold open was extra special, as Walken did a surprise cameo as the spirit of Halloween.

As was to be expected, Bargatze took to the monologue to do a killer stand-up set. After addressing how audiences may be unfamiliar with him, he got right into it. He talked about going to county fairs to watch his dad perform in the 80’s, picking up his daughter, and getting older. As this was sort of an introduction for Bargatze to new viewers, he picked some great material to do it with.

This was a solid first sketch, as Bargatze and Ego Nwodim played competing chefs on a reality show. The assignment was soul food. Kenan Thompson manages to steal the sketch right out from everyone else’s noses, as he is one to do in basically every sketch he’s in. But this was a particular highlight for him this episode.

This was probably a standout sketch for Bargatze as a performer. The sketch features him as George Washington, fielding questions about the new country. It’s definitely reassuring to see that - despite being new to sketch performing - they put Bargatze front and center in this sketch and gave him lots of great material to work with!

A few weeks ago, SAG issued new rules on how to have a “strike friendly” Halloween that seemed like a total stretch. So the show had some fun with that, and had Sarah Sherman do a dead-on impression and show kids that are wearing strike-“friendly” costumes.

The latest video from Please Don’t Destroy was a bit shorter than we’re used to, as well as being simpler in concept. The sketch finds John and Martin trying a new meal prep service. Basically, they’re just eating dog food.

In the final sketch, a woman (Chloe Fineman) joined by her partner (Devon Walker), is giving birth on a plane and desperately needs a doctor. While there is no doctor on board, everyone takes it upon themselves to weigh in on the second most important job. Bonus points for a Dave Grohl cameo!