‘SNL’ taps Dana Carvey’s Church Lady for a church chat on ‘Wicked’ and Sabrina Carpenter
Dana Carvey reprised one of his iconic “Saturday Night Live” characters during the show’s cold open last night.
After several weeks off, “SNL” returned on Dec. 7 with a new episode featuring Paul Mescal in his first hosting gig and Shaboozey as musical guest.
Carvey, who was a cast member on the show for seven years from 1986-1993, returned to Studio 8H after portraying President Joe Biden throughout the beginning of Season 50. This time, it was to bring back one of his most popular sketches, “Church Chat.”
During the episode’s cold open, Carvey took on several of the popular topics from the year as the uptight Enid Strict, better known as the Church Lady.
“It’s great to be back to ring out the end of 2024, the most satanic year in history,” the actor said. “Instead of Mother Mary, little girls are looking up to the ‘Hawk-Tuah’ girl. Well you know what I say, instead of ‘Hawk-Tuah,’ you need to ‘Walk-Tuah’ church.”
Carvey also tackled the new “Wicked” film, adding, “Have you seen ‘Wicked?’ Yeah, it’s just like ‘The Wizard of Oz,’ but instead of saying ‘Lions, tigers, and bears, oh my,’ they say ‘Lions, tigers, and sluts,’ so yes, it’s a little bit different.”
He continued on a smug monologue and moved on to Sabrina Carpenter, commenting,“Everywhere you look you’ve got 11 years olds dressing up like that vixen Sabrina Carpenter.”
“Did you know who’s the best carpenter? Jesus,” Carvey said, before adding an amended line from the singer’s hit song “Espresso.” “Jesus. He’s working late, ‘cause he’s a savior.”
The sketch went on to feature a variety of special guests, including cast member Sarah Sherman portraying former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz. David Spade, who was a cast member on “SNL” from 1990 to 1996 and co-hosts the podcast “Fly on the Wall” with Carvey, also made an appearance as Hunter Biden.
The last guest featured Marcello Hernández as baseball player Juan Soto, discussing the difficult decision of choosing which MLB team he planned to sign with.
After Carvey urged him to share which team he was leaning toward, Hernández expressed that he hoped the Yankees would make the best offer.
“Well, as a Christian, I have to ask you, why not spend your time and money helping the needy and the less fortunate?” Carvey asked.
Hernández considered this before adding, “You’re right. Maybe I sign with the Mets.”
Carvey was well known for a variety of characters during his time on “SNL.” His “Church Chat” sketches were a staple during his time on the show, chock full of catchphrases including “Well, isn’t that special?” and “How convenient!”
He was also known for portraying former President George H. W. Bush while he was a cast member, as well as Garth Algar from the “Wayne’s World” sketches, which spawned two movies alongside Mike Myers.
