Like most people, I have a soft spot for Saturday Night Live even if it isn’t the cultural behemoth that it used to be. Though I rarely catch it when it airs, I don’t especially go out of my way to avoid watching the show unless the guest host is someone who has no business hosting. These are usually hosts that have zero acting or comedy experience, and it’s pretty apparent that the cast has to work extra hard to get something humorous out of them. I think that perfectly describes Justin Bieber’s hosting appearance.
Though I never saw his episode, reviews were not kind. In fact, even the cast has made the rare move of openly talking about how bad one particular sketch that never aired was in a behind-the-scenes video from the dress rehearsal. Called “Song for Daddy,” it’s particularly awful, and not really because of Bieber himself. In fact, the funniest part might be when one of the set walls falls on him.
Bill Hader, who starred in and co-wrote the sketch, describes the sketch as a “trainwreck.” After showing the sketch in its entirety in the below video, Hader and the writers run through it again and talk about specifically why it just didn’t work, including the fact that the entire audience was made up of young Justin Bieber fans. It’s a funny look at a disaster in the making — and if you think some stuff that makes SNL these days is bad, it’s worth checking out simply to see how bad the stuff that doesn’t make the cut is.
