Saturday Night Live: Alexander Skarsgård hosts landmark 1,000th episode with Cardi B

Saturday Night Live reached a major milestone on January 31 with its 1,000th episode, hosted by Alexander Skarsgård and featuring musical guest Cardi B.

The broadcast marked a rare achievement in American network television and reflected on the show’s longevity while maintaining its familiar live format.

The episode opened with a political Cold Open centred on federal enforcement and public confusion, before moving into Skarsgård’s monologue, which played on his childhood memories of watching the programme from Sweden and his admiration for the house band. His restrained, deadpan delivery set the tone for the evening and carried through multiple sketches.

Among the night’s recurring and new segments were “Mom’s Confession,” “Winter Olympics Promo,” “Scandinavian Movie 2,” “Immigrant Dad Talk Show 3,” “The Viking Raid,” “Play Date,” “Tarzan,” and “Funny Boyfriend.” Weekend Update covered current affairs, winter weather in New York and featured guest appearances including Jack McBrayer, along with returning characters such as “Two People Who Just Hooked Up.” Cameos throughout the show included Pete Davidson and Skarsgård’s father, Stellan Skarsgård.

Cardi B delivered two musical performances. She first performed “Bodega Baddie,” followed later in the show by “ErrTime,” bringing a contrasting musical energy to the comedy-heavy broadcast. She also appeared briefly in a sketch, drawing a strong audience response.

The episode concluded with the traditional goodnights and a dedicated title card honouring Catherine O’Hara, whose recent death has been widely felt across the comedy community.