Category: News

The midterm elections are not far off, and in the final weeks Republicans have been surging in the polls. Even three of the GOP’s kookiest candidates have gained ground: Herschel Walker, the former footballer who keeps getting busted with claims that he paid for abortions; Dr. Oz, a carpetbagger who killed a bunch of dogs; and Kari Lake, a local news anchor and anti-Trumper-turned-MAGA 2020 election denier. SNL’s most recent Cold Open skewered them, hoping to remind viewers that all three are rather silly.

Heidi Gardner played PBS Newshour’s Judy Woodruff, forced to speak to the aforementioned three. She started with Kenan Thompson’s Walker, asking him how on earth he’s suddenly doing well in the home stretch.

“And that’s where I don’t know,” he replied, replicating Walker’s fractured train of thought. “The whole world is a mystery, ain’t it? For per example, a thermos: It keeps the hot things hot, but also the cold things cold. My questions is: How do we decide? So we’re going to be looking into that very much.”

When asked why many Georgians seem to be fine with a candidate who’s been accused of paying for two women’s abortions and holding a gun to his ex-wife’s head, he replied, simply, “Gas.” That should explain it, but he went further. “I’m fun! Look, if you want to get on the jumbotron at the Falcons game, you don’t throw on a cardigan and start making sense! You take your shirt off and shake your belly around! That’s what I’m doing, and people love me no matter what.”

He concluded, “Like the great Trump Donald said, I could pay for an abortion in the middle of Fifth Avenue and not lose any votes! And that’s a promise from me, Herschel Wikipotamus.”

Mikey Day’s Oz was next. “Let’s remember: I was a long shot, Judy,” he said, “but I always told myself, you can win this election if you’re honest, if you’re fair, and if your opponent has a debilitating medical emergency. So, we’re very lucky.”

Then there was Cecily Strong’s Lake, who sent up perhaps her most perplexing habit: doing Zoom interviews in what looks like an iPhone Portrait Mode — or as Strong put it, “constantly in soft focus, and lit like a ’90s Cinemax softcore.”

Strong’s Lake declared, “I’m a fighter. In my life, I’ve sent back over 2,000 salads, and I’m not afraid to do the same thing with democracy.” When asked about her stance on making sure everyone gets the chance to vote, she replied, “Judy, I’ll make it easy: If the people of Arizona elect me, I’ll make sure they never have to vote ever again.”

You can watch the sketch in the video above.

In his first Saturday Night Live episode as a performer and host, Jack Harlow was a scene stealer on last night’s SNL. In a hilarious skit parodying elevated eateries, Harlow is joined by Bowen Yang as the two work as bartenders in an upscale restaurant.

The two arrive at a table of four, where one of the guests asks for tableside guacamole, however, they are unable to serve the guac, as the restaurant is “out of avocado, cilantro, and red onions,” as Yang notes.

Harlow then assures the guest that he and Yang “are horned up” to serve up tableside cocktails.

The first cocktail is a “screwdriver with flair.”

Yang and Harlow then dance to Sam Smith and Kim Petras’ “Unholy” as they mix drinks. They, unfortunately, spill the mixes onto the table, but Yang and Harlow quickly brush this off, before offering a non-drinking guest at the table a “voj-eye-to.”

“What’s a voj-eye-to?” asks the character, played by Heidi Gardner.

Harlow then explains that a voj-eye-to is a virgin mojito, which he pronounces, “moj-eye-to.” The two, once again, dance to “Unholy.”

Later in the sketch, one of the characters, played by Cecily Strong, mentions how happy she is to hear the song.

Harlow then shouts out the restaurant’s DJ, who Yang explains is “a busboy with an aux cord.”

Check out the full skit above.

Jack Harlow is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

In his second performance of the night, Jack Harlow took to the Saturday Night Live stage for a performance of “State Fair” from his album, Come Home, The Kids Miss You.

Wearing a flowing green sweater and matching pants, Harlow shouts out his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, recalling fond memories of his childhood.

“I wanna go back to Kentucky and shut down the state fair / Visit my old teachers and tell ’em to take care / I might take a whip instead of payin’ the plane fare / I still remember the way there,” he raps on the free-flowing song.

“State Fair” is one of the more personal tracks on Come Home, The Kids Miss You. In a piece for Harper’s Bazaar, Harlow wrote that he wants to use his platform to uplift is home state.

“I would like people to think of me as real and one of one,” Harlow said. “And I’d like for people to know me as someone who gave back and lifted the community he’s from up. I’d like for Kentucky to be different after I leave earth and for people to have a better life because of it.”

Check out the performance of “State Fair” above.

Jack Harlow is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

After stealing scenes in hilarious sketches throughout the night, Jack Harlow finally brought his musical stylings to the Saturday Night Live stage. To kick things off musically, Harlow opened his first of two sets with the sultry “Lil Secret”

“I know that you sick of bein’ my little secret / I know that you sick of bein’ my favorite / I know that you hate the fact that I’m famous / Hate the fact that you gotta wait,” he raps on the song’s chorus.

Shortly after, the song transitions to his No. 1 hit, First Class”

During the performance of the Fergie-sampling hit single, Harlow wore a lush, white suit, as he danced beneath a disco ball atop flashy, colorful floor tiles.

“First Class” has proven to be Harlow’s most successful single, and one of the biggest songs of the year. The song debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and remained at the top for three weeks. In a recent interview for Paper, Harlow said that he’s proud of the song, as it showcased his musical range.

“[My old songs] had that modern sound and I always loved that, but I thought that deep down, what I like and what I wanted to make and what my mixtapes and albums are filled with–the track eights and track twelves and thirteens–are these smooth records that I want to play in the car with a girl that might not necessarily cause a mosh pit. To get one of those to debut at the top of the charts, not to mention a sample that is near and dear to my heart, that’s one of the best feelings in the world, man.”

Check out Harlow’s performance of “First Class” above.

Jack Harlow is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

The Brooklyn Nets fell to 1-5 on the season with another dreadful defensive performance on Saturday night against the Indiana Pacers, losing 125-116 to drop to the second worst record in the NBA, with only the winless Lakers behind them.

However, Brooklyn’s lackluster play and effort was a secondary storyline to Kyrie Irving’s recent tweet promoting a movie based on an anti-semitic book, which led to vague statements from the Nets and NBA about not supporting hate speech (but not addressing Irving specifically), Joe Tsai saying he wants to sit down with Irving to explain why it was wrong and hurtful to support a movie that peddles anti-semitic conspiracy theories, and ultimately a non-apology from Irving on Twitter.

On the Nets broadcast Saturday night, Richard Jefferson laid out why Irving’s non-apology wasn’t enough and after the game Irving faced the media for the first time and it did not go well. Irving was asked about posting a clip from extremist Alex Jones in the offseason about a New World Order, saying “it’s true,” before growing increasingly upset he was being questioned about his post with a link to the movie, with ESPN’s Nick Friedell pressing him as Irving deflected.

Irving, as is usually the case when presented an opportunity to explain his beliefs, refuses to say anything of note and instead declares himself the victim for being asked about his post to 4.5 million followers, insisting Friedell is “dehumanizing” him by asking him about it.

As Irving continues to dig his heels in ever deeper on conspiracy theories and pushing harmful rhetoric, the Nets are rapidly approaching a situation where they are going to have to make a choice (again) about whether Irving’s basketball skills override the PR nightmare he has become off of it.

Jack Harlow is taking on double duty on the Saturday Night Live stage tonight (October 29) as the episode’s host and musical guest. He performed on SNL last year, however his episode was hosted by was hosted by Maya Rudolph. Tonight, the rapper is showing off both his musical stylings and his acting chops.

During his opening monologue, he acknowledged many of the roasts he’s heard about himself.

“One guy said ‘I don’t know why y’all think Jack Harlow is so special, you can find somebody that looks like him at any local gas station’” Harlow said. “I’ve heard them say I look like if you try to draw Justin Timberlake from memory. I think my favorite one might be ‘Jack Harlow looks like the guy who rips the tickets in half at the movie theater.’”

Harlow addressed rumors that have circulated about him, saying, “Some people think I’m only five foot 10, stop it. Other people think I was created by the CIA, no telling. Some people have even gone as far as to accuse me of being white.”

Shortly after, he said, “I’ve also heard people try to romantically link me and Lil Nas X as an item. But I’m going to tell you right now, no. Everything that happened between us was casual. And consensual. And one of the best nights of my entire life.” He then clarified, “working with him, working with him, working with him.”

Check out Harlow’s opening monologue above.

Jack Harlow is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

As has been the case for much of the 2022 season, Saturday night did not go particularly well for Michigan State as they got beat 29-7 by rival Michigan in the Big House, with the Wolverines scoring 26 unanswered points in the final three quarters of the game.

The Michigan State offense could only produce 252 total yards against Michigan, with just 48 of those coming in the second half as they fell to 3-5 on the season. While Michigan struggled to produce touchdowns in the red zone, they moved the ball at will on the Spartans and the game never really felt in doubt in the second half as the Wolverines steadily pulled away for a comfortable win.

However, while there wasn’t much in terms of competitive fight on the field in the second half, that didn’t stop there from being some extracurriculars in the tunnel after the game, as both teams share a tunnel at the Big House which can lead to some altercations. In this instance, one Michigan player found himself in the wrong area and got jumped by a group of Michigan State players, who punched and kicked at him until he eventually fled away.

It’s certainly not a good look for anyone, and while this video starts in the middle of the fracas it’s hard to imagine the Michigan player was, by himself, trying to start a fight with half the Michigan State team. This comes a week after Penn State coach James Franklin blamed Michigan’s tunnel setup for a halftime scuffle between the two teams, but in this case it feels more like Michigan State’s frustrations with the game boiled over in the worst possible way and one would think some suspensions might be coming for those on video doing the punching and kicking.

On Thursday, Kyrie Irving posted a link to a movie on his Twitter account that is based off of a book promotes a number of anti-semitic tropes — which are broken down in full here by Jon Blistein of Rolling Stone — leading to the yet another controversy regarding his social media posts.

In the days since, the Nets and the NBA have each issued a vague statement condemning “hate speech” without addressing Irving specifically or even noting what he did to prompt the statements.

“The Brooklyn Nets strongly condemn and have no tolerance for the promotion of any form of hate speech,” the team wrote. “We believe that in these situations, our first action must be open, honest dialogue. We thank those, including the ADL, who have been supportive during this time.”

Nets owner Joe Tsai did, however, address it head on, and said he wants to sit down with Irving and explain why his promotion of an anti-semitic film is hurtful and wrong.

Irving then posted a non-apology to his Twitter, while leaving the initial tweet up, saying he meant no disrespect to anyone’s beliefs while then trying to paint himself as a victim for having the “anti-semitic label pushed on me,” which is indeed what happens when you promote anti-semitic movies.

On the Nets broadcast on Saturday night, Richard Jefferson addressed the entire situation in stronger terms than the team or the league, while explaining why Irving is in the wrong, why he doesn’t get the benefit of the doubt after previous missteps like posting an Alex Jones clip to his Instagram, and why his apology rings hollow if the initial tweet remains up.

It is well done by Jefferson to address this on the Nets broadcast rather than trying to ignore it or dance around it. He lays out exactly why it matters what Irving posts to his social media considering his platform and how irresponsible it is to promote a film peddling in anti-semitic tropes.

Japanese Breakfast can add another incredible feat to her resume. Over the past two years, Jbrekkie has released her acclaimed album, Jubilee, performed a slew of festivals, and published her poignant memoir, Crying In H-Mart Last night (October 28), Japanese Breakfast, whose real name is Michelle Zauner, was surprised to find out her memoir was referenced as an answer in an episode of Jeopardy.

During the round, contestants were prompted, “Michelle Zauner writes about losing her Korean mother to cancer in her memoir Crying In this Asian grocery chain.”

A contestant named Sadie Goldberger replied, “What is H-Mart?”

Zauner caught wind of the Jeopardy nod, and took to Twitter to express her excitement.

“I’m dead!!!!!!!,” said the singer, instrumentalist, and author in a tweet.

Crying In H-Mart was published in April 0f 2021, however, in June of that year, it was announced that the book would be adapted into a movie. Back in March of this year, Zauner shared an update on the film with Consequence.

“So I actually just finished the first draft of the screenplay,” said Zauner. “My producers really like it, so hopefully the revision process won’t be too brutal. And yeah, hopefully that will come out sometime in the next couple years. I’m just playing a lot of festivals and being back on the road, and Crying in H Mart the movie [will arrive] maybe sometime in the next few years.”

Check out a clip from last night’s Jeopardy above.

On Friday night, the Spurs made a shocking announcement when the put out a press release an hour before they played the Bulls stating they were waiving Joshua Primo.

Primo was the 12th overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft and the Spurs had picked up his third-year option less than three weeks ago, playing him in the first four games. The news arrived suddenly and without any real indication of what transpired that led to his release. The Spurs official statement said they hoped it would be best for both Primo and the team long-term, and none of the preeminent newsbreakers in the NBA world had any further details to provide in the hours after the release was sent out.

Primo himself released a very vague statement saying he was going to focus on his “mental health treatment” on Friday night, but there still felt like we were missing some key information into why the Spurs would outright waive him. On Saturday evening, that information arrived in the form of a brief report from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne, as they reported Primo had allegedly exposed himself to multiple women, leading to the decision by the team to let him go.

The San Antonio Spurs’ release of guard Joshua Primo — the No. 12 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft — stemmed from multiple alleged instances of him exposing himself to women, sources told ESPN.

While we don’t know any details beyond this, it explains why the Spurs would move so quickly and let him go completely, rather than trying to move him in a trade or just have him step away from the team. It also brings into question Primo’s statement, in which he cites previous trauma he endured, and teams and the league will have plenty of questions about what took place before Primo can potentially find himself a new team.