A Rae of Sunshine

Actress and writer Issa Rae brightens up the SNL stage

Issa Rae brought wholesome humor and sweetness back to the “Saturday Night Live” (SNL) stage last Saturday, Oct. 17. Rae was initially scheduled to host SNL in March to promote the fourth season of her TV series “Insecure,” as well as films “The Photograph” and “The Lovebirds.” Now, seven months later when asked what she’s been working on, Rae quips, “puzzles b*tch? I don't know.” 

Rae’s opening monologue was fun and fresh while touching on issues of race, the current political climate and her experience growing in Hollywood over the past four years. After walking down the iconic SNL steps, Rae acknowledged the famous female comedians like Tina Fey and Amy Poehler who walked those stairs before her. Rae mentions how scared and excited she was to be on stage.
“I might throw up, I’m gotta hold it down because I’m the first Black person to host SNL, y’all!” she said. The audience responded with a resounding applause while Rae waved her hands “wait wait, that’s actually not true” she said, laughing, “y'all really clapped.”

In her first sketch, entitled “Canadian News Show,” Rae portrayed fictional Canadian television reporter ‘Awa Sene’ whose entire job is to search for Drake and report back to the main news channel. Rae attempted a French-Canadian accent for the bit. Despite not finding Drake numerous times, she continued to maintain enthusiasm. The premise of this skit was endearing, albeit ridiculous, and cheekily pokes fun at musical guest Justin Bieber’s native country.

In another sketch, “First Date Exes,” Rae joined young lawyer, Chris Redd, for a COVID-friendly outdoor dining experience. However, her pleasant night is quickly disrupted by her ex, Clifford (Kenan Thompson), a homeless rose salesman, who happens upon Rae’s table, admires her “t*tty meat,” and attempts to sell a flower to Redd. 

After Rae gets Clifford to leave, Karate Man (Pete Davidson) burts out of the restaurant threatening to “burn this whole place to the ground” before stumbling across Rae’s table. “Heyyyy Karate Man…” Rae says nervously to a karate garb-clad Davidson who responds by admiring her “t*tty meat” and telling Redd intimate details about his and Rae’s previous relationship. When Karate Man finally leaves, a third ex named Robot (Bowen Yang) clunks onto the scene in head-to-toe silver spray paint, a stuffed silver dog, and metal robot accessories. Robot recognizes Rae by her “t*tty meat” before stealing a basket of bread rolls, comparing Rae to his stuffed dog, and exiting the scene. The entire sketch is exaggerated and silly, but goes to show that even in the midst of a global pandemic, exes can’t be escaped.

In a sketch called “Dancer,” Rae is approached by quirky SNL cast member Kyle Mooney, who dances in front of Rae hoping that she’d recommend him to Justin Bieber. Rae declines and tells Mooney that as the host, it’s not her place to recommend dancers, which prompted Mooney to start singing in front of her. The two eventually dance and sing like nobody’s watching to a Missy-Elliot-esque futuristic tune. Chance the Rapper, who performed alongside musical guest Bieber in the show, interrupts Rae and Mooney to show off some dance moves of his own, but the sketch ended with Mooney (jokingly) getting sent home after testing positive for COVID-19.

In the final sketch, “Your Voice Chicago,” Rae portrayed an NAACP lawyer who appears on a local news station to give her opinions on local election candidates. Kenan Thompson, the host of the fictional talk show, asks Rae if she has any strategies for vetting candidates to which she responds she’s “voting for everybody Black.”

This comment was a clever nod to Rae’s now-famous 2017 Emmy’s quote where she said she was “rooting for everybody Black.” As Thompson presents various political candidates, Rae is able to justify her support for each of the Black candidates despite the fact they grow increasingly more outrageous. The first pair of candidates Thompson introduced were fairly tame: a political incumbent (white) and a young lawyer (Black), but he later presents a democratic woman (white) running against a former strip club owner, tax evader, and self-proclaimed reverend (Black). While Rae successfully managed to justify her support for every Black candidate, she drew the line at the presidential election. Rae concluded the sketch by saying “Kanye? F him.”

Rae is notable for self-identifying as an “awkward Black girl” and her skits, especially “Dancer” and “First Date Exes,” capitalized on her ability to appear awkward in a humorous way. In a time where race is a simmering topic and two SNL episodes after Megan Thee Stallion called for better treatment of Black women in our society, the timing of Rae’s SNL performance and her performance itself were perfect.

Rae is famous for breaking through racial barriers herself and for elevating other diverse voices with her success. Issa Rae’s relatable and multifaceted persona, as well as her quirky, clever, and on-brand sense of humor, enlivened the SNL stage.