On Feb. 28, 2019, the Jonas Brothers announced they were getting the band back together. What resulted were mass amounts of former Jonatics (the official term for the Jonas Brothers’ fandom of 2005-2013), taking to social media to express their utter thrill at the historical moment in music. On March 1, 2019, just days after their announcement, the Jo Bros released “Sucker,” their first single since reuniting. The single debuted at No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and marked their first ever spot at number one. Needless to say, the re-emergence of the Jonas Brothers sent a palpable frenzy through every person who loved them during their heyday.
Just like the gut-wrenching shock of their breakup eventually subsided, the hysteria of their reunion also faded into the quick-changing tides of popular culture news. And most distractedly, the COVID-19 pandemic slapped the entire world in the face, sending our contemporary society on a completely different trajectory in time. However, fans held onto the joy that this reunion sparked, reveling in the Jonas Brothers’ musical releases that were to follow and knowing that the music industry had gained a sprinkle of balance back.
On Nov 23, 2021, the Jonas Brothers Family Roast premiered on Netflix. The frenzy returns.
The show opened with a sketch that saw Kevin, Joe and Nick sitting around the kitchen table having a meal together. Nick says something pretentious, they start bickering, sending insults across the table, and ultimately, those insults turn into food being launched into the air. The meal is irrevocably destroyed. The boys try to settle their differences in other ways through the scene and all the while, nostalgia will sweep through any viewer who religiously watched the brief yet iconic Disney Channel original series Jonas. This sketch is a precursor to the various other skits that are sprinkled throughout the comedy special, all of which feel like bonus Jonas episodes I didn’t know I needed.
The show did not lack in incorporating fellow star appearances. Kenan Thompson hosted the awaited event and provided a refreshed performance away from the Saturday Night Live stage. Thompson kicked off the roast with a session of “Jo Bros 101.” He recognized the brothers for their evocative mid-2000s wardrobe, consisting of top hats, skinny ties, vests, decorative scarves and their glorious hair which Thompson praises as “the most realistic weaves [he] has ever seen.” John Legend showed up with his piano to perform an original soulful ballad written specifically for the event, the thesis of the song being, “You’re not quite The Beatles, but you’re really nice guys.” I was personally sent back to the height of my One Direction days when Niall Horan went head to head with Joe as undercover spinning instructors. Other shocking appearances include Dr. Phil and Dr. Phil’s son.
As a true and honest family event, the Jonas Brothers’ wives each took the stage to deliver a deliciously seasoned roast of their respective husbands. Priyanka Chopra-Jonas sparkled literally and figuratively, Danielle Jonas lost her voice that evening but her iconic roast still got served by none other than Kenan Thompson, and Sophie Turner was perfectly provocative and simply hilarious.
In my viewing of the Jonas Brothers Family Roast, however, there was one key standout, and his name is Pete Davidson.
Pete Davidson started off strong. He emerged from the crowd in a blazing “I <3 Jonas” yellow t-shirt and delivered a tight set with legendary lines, poking at the Jonas Brothers’ musical mediocrity and illegitimate acting careers, among other things. Pete did not fail to perform in his usual style of being both expressive and monotone at the same time, adding in sprinkles of self-deprecation along the way. This was Pete Davidson at his finest. He should have stopped there.
Pete reappears for a quick cameo, only when viewers see him again, he enters the stage wearing a gray zip-up hoodie and a curly brunette wig that just barely covers his platinum hair. He claims to be Frankie Jonas, the fourth and youngest Jonas brother who couldn’t make it to the family roast. This is where Pete lost me. His impersonation of Frankie Jonas played on the exact stereotypes you would expect: Frankie as the bonus Jonas, Frankie as the youngest yet tallest Jonas, and Frankie as the desperate Jonas living off of his brothers’ money. In his depiction, we didn’t get to see Frankie Jonas for who he truly is: a professional weirdo who is TikTok famous and currently pursuing his passions in fashion, film and television. My question is… why wasn’t that Frankie represented in Pete’s performance? Frankie is seriously so odd. Pete had so much material to work from.
This comedy special was golden entertainment marked by repetitive jokes about Kevin’s underwhelming fame, Joe’s secretive yet not secretive promiscuousness, and Nick’s huge ego. Despite this, this family roast succeeded in reminding viewers why we love the Jonas Brothers. The Jo Bros represent a corner of the Family Channel world, one of the earlier technological spaces Canadian Gen Z’s interacted with, that brought such charmful entertainment to an expansive audience. The comedy special points to the fact that, although the Jonas Brothers may not produce exceptionally moving or impactful work, they might actually be decent guys who value their families and their careers as performers. By the end of the hour-long comedy special, I was left sufficiently distracted and thoroughly amused. Would I watch it again? Probably not. Should Jonas Brothers fans everywhere watch the roast at least once? Absolutely.