Marcello Hernandez first burst on to the SNL scene in October of 2022 on my favorite segment of the show, Weekend Update. Ever since then, I’ve loved following his career. Some of my all-time favorite SNL skits feature Marcello, namely “Protective Mother,” with Pedro Pascal and the whole Domingo saga. When I found out that he was visiting UGA for the comedy show this year, my friends and I immediately got tickets for the show. When I got to Tate, the line wrapped around three floors of the building! All of UGA was clearly very hyped for our favorite SNL cast member.
The opener, Matt Richards, was phenomenal. He appealed to the whole crowd, asking students their majors and building an act around the stories we shared. He was perfectly witty and made us all excited for Marcello’s show. Richards even shared anecdotes from his previous college visits, crafting a set that was so in touch with the crowd. Despite its short duration, it was so memorable, and the entire audience was laughing the whole time.
When it was time for Marcello to come on, I swear I’ve never heard a louder crowd- save for the Eras Tour and a good ol’ Saturday in Athens in Sanford Stadium. He brought his signature relatable humor to the set, with jokes about growing up in an immigrant household and being the short king (or average sized king), we needed. It was so refreshing to see a male comedian who had so much of his set revolve around women’s issues done in a respectable, yet funny way. The audience was majority female, and every student I asked felt the same way. One student remarked, “I loved the physical comedy with his accent changes. It felt very reminiscent of old comedians, compared to the nonchalant acts we see today,” praising his set.
Overall, this was by far one of my most memorable experiences at the University of Georgia. I love how many free and accessible events are hosted. It gives students exposure to so many different activities and interests. Thank you so much to University Union for hosting the event and keeping everything organized and fun. This was such a great event, and I can’t wait to tune into SNL once his tour wraps up and remember how I called the dawgs with that guy on screen!
(another baby face icon from snl)