The “Wake Up Dead Man” star hosts for the first time.

*Saturday Night Live *recap: Josh O’Connor hosts with musical guest Lily Allen

The "Wake Up Dead Man" star hosts for the first time.

By Andy Hoglund

Andy Hoglund

Andy Hoglund is a writer at **. He has worked at EW since 2019.

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on December 14, 2025 12:57 a.m. ET

Josh O'Connor and Lily Allen in a promo for 'Saturday Night Live'. Credit:

Saturday Night Live/YouTube

Hey there Coneheads, welcome back for the latest December 2025 edition of *SNL* in Review. Accept no substitutes.

Last week saw the return of Melissa McCarthy, and nearly 80% of you seemed to have enjoyed the episode. I am joined tonight by the one and only Gary Kroeger. We are thrilled to have him back! He says: “I've been watching the new season on YouTube and from your clips here on EW. I am really impressed with the new cast, but I have to admit, I'm still surprised at the reboot. New cast member Ben Marshall stands out to me because he is already 100% comfortable in his role. It isn't drastically different from his contributions with Please Don't Destroy, but he understands subtlety and earnest comedy. I still expect to see Heidi Gardner appear and am always a bit let down realizing that she is no longer there. Ashley Padilla gets me close to forgetting her, however… I'm really happy when I see more of Jane Wickline. I thought "Cousin Planet" was the best filmed sketch I've seen in maybe forever.”**

Tonight’s host is Josh O’Connor, who stars in the latest *Knives Out* sequel. (He’s great in it!) Kroeger shares: “I only know of Josh from *The Crown*, but that is a very positive impression. It is hard to bring such a well-known figure to life without being a caricature, but that's what he does with Prince Charles. O'Connor doesn't ‘act’ per se, he ‘exists’ as the character. High praise.”

OK, keep scrolling and following along below!

We start with a holiday story – just wait, that framing is an introduction to President Trump speaking with reporters live on Air Force One. James Austin Johnson appears behind the plane’s curtain, where he lavishes praise on Karoline Leavitt, played by Ashley Padilla. They do a nice zoom in as he obsesses over her mouth. Padilla eventually gets the “LFNY” tonight!

Ambien and adderall drive Trump’s stream of consciousness. Asked about the pending Warner Bros.-Netflix merger, he namechecks wanting to visit Luke’s on the *Gilmore Girls* lot, which is a hilarious reference. Also noteworthy: Chloe Fineman’s Kaitlan Collins impression is solid here.

Reflecting on this season’s cold opens and approach to the current political moment, Gary Kroeger doesn’t mince words: “This is where I may step on some toes. *SNL *has for decades now been one of the most provocative and necessary voices in political satire. It STILL is, but this season, for the first time, it feels formulaic. From the fact that there is a public expectation that *SNL *is going to satirize the current event of that week, *SNL *delivers the satire of the current event that week. Trump falls asleep, expect the Trump Falls Asleep sketch. There is nothing wrong with that fulfillment of expectation, but if I am to be completely honest — and I am being completely honest — the jokes were predictable, and that ISN'T the fulfillment of our expectation. *SNL,* in its purest and best form, surprises us with an angle we hadn't thought of. The formulaic approach is hard to resist; if it works, do it again, and again, but it has crept into *SNL *writing. The family around the dinner table, the contrasting couples out to dinner, provide easy platforms for fast writing that features a single joke premise, but I lose interest. And when I lose interest, I think back on John Belushi's Samurai, or Chris Farley's Motivational Speaker, or Dan Aykroyd’s Julia Child, Ana Gasteyer and Molly Shannon as the Delicious Duo, and remember when I was surprised.”**

Josh O’Connor discusses Pixar! He looks like various characters, including Linguini from *Ratatouille*.

First takeaway: O’Connor is *very *British. That can go both ways as a host. Gary Kroeger notes: “British Humor is the downstairs recreation room in the American House of Comedy. Without the Goons, then Python, I don't think there would have ever been *SNL*. *SNL* can draw a straight line to Sid Caesar, but Caesar was mainstream, while British comedians sprang from parodies of the mainstream. I worked with Ringo — a king of wry — and Michael Palin. Palin's approach was usually the silliest way toward discovering a truth. That is a template for *Saturday Night Live*.”

More on that below from Gary.**

“Let’s Find Love"

Josh is on a dating game show, interviewing three potential contestants. One is a quirky elderly woman played by Ashley Padilla. She’s quickly entering Kate McKinnon territory, folks. Kate would’ve played this in previous seasons, right? She rants about the upcoming *Toy Story 5*. Big Pixar night so far.

Kroeger says, “Ashley is the definition of versatile.”**

"Uber Eats Wrapped"

Spotify's end-of-year lists are part of the annual Spotify Wrapped, revealing personalized stats for top artists, songs, and genres, with the data tracking nearly the full year. Now Uber is getting in on the game with embarrassing factoids about orders, including pick-up images.

Another funny JAJ-Padilla moment.**

"Dr. Please”

Bowen Yang returns as the exasperated "Dr. Please" character! O’Connor is Shirley, with a funny Plain English delivery. Dr. Please brings up *All That*, which is so meta my mind just reset. The crowd loved this.**

Lily Allen, “Sleepwalking"

“Sleepwalking” sure feels like it is about gaslighting and emotional manipulation... so a very personal performance? Before tonight, Gary Kroeger says he previously knew “of Lily Allen, but it wasn't until tabloid drama regarding her separation from David Harbour. I did a dive into her music, and while ‘electro-pop’ — sorry for the reductive term — isn't my cup of tea, it is abundantly clear that she is talented, clever, conscious, and a genuine artist.”**

"Bachelorette Party Strippers"

Strippers are coming to a cozy, snowy ladies' night in the Catskills. The bride (Padilla) is deeply uncomfortable. Augie (O’Connor) and Remington (Marshall) arrive, and they ask for consent. They are very sensitive – the ideal men. They remove one cardigan, revealing another underneath. Both men vibe, and have a Will They/Won’t They moment. Remington cries, thinking about the Supreme Court.

This is hilarious. Easily one of the season’s best. Love the Fleet Foxes insult. **

"Weekend Update”

Colin Jost and Michael Che discuss Trump and Fatmentia, a made-up word. Other topics: the Kennedy Center Honors, the Netflix-Warner Bros. merger, OnlyFans, and Pantone’s color of the year.

Marcello Hernández, wearing a festive sweater, comes on to discuss new boyfriends who get introduced during the holidays. He plays a voicemail he claims is from Lorne Michaels! He has some funny lines about watching *Home Alone *growing up.

Jane Wickline comes out to discuss how society might end! She has a song about the true villains: the child actors from* Stranger Things*. AI is just a distraction. The Netflix show is ending, and these kids are now adults and have a lot of free time! They might steal the next election. (She’s not wrong to evoke Joe Rogan’s wild influence. He used to make people eat bugs!)**

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Source: “EW SNL”