SNL kicked off with a Cold Open that barely mentioned the number one topic of last week: Will Smith smacking Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars. But after that they went all in. Weekend Update devoted most of its opening stretch to the incident. It also inspired an entire sketch of its own, which showed what it would have looked like to a lowly seat filler.
Host Jerrod Carmichael played one of the normals hired to keep the Oscar ceremony looking full. Sadly, he winds up occupying a seat right behind Chris Redd’s Smith. The star is shown chilling in his seat, happy to chit-chat with a fan. Thing is, he keeps excusing himself so he can a) smack Rock over a joke he made about his wife and b) repeatedly shout obscenities that caused the American broadcast to go silent for a good half-minute.
But in between assaulting someone and shouting cuss words, he seems nice. When Carmichael’s character tells him he loves the 2006 drama The Pursuit of Happyness, Redd’s Smith responds, “I love that! That’s what it’s all about!” Shortly thereafter, he storms the stage, hits someone, then sits back down as though nothing happened. Rinse, repeat.
You can watch the sketch in the video above.