Don Francisco Reacts to Sábado Gigante Skit on Saturday Night Live
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE -- Episode 1866 -- Pictured: (l-r) Chloe Fineman, Ego Nwodim, Marcello Hernández, and Ashley Padilla during the Sabado Gigante sketch on Saturday, October 5, 2024 -- (Photo by: Will Heath/NBC)
On Saturday (October 5th), Marcello Hernández and SNL took on Sábado Gigante. The popular Latine variety show, which aired for 53 years on Univision (1962-2015), was parodied in a skit featuring Hernández in the role of the host. This led Don Francisco, the host of the show, to publicly thank Hernández and SNL for the shoutout.
“I want to thank @nbcsnl and @marcellohdz for bringing back memories of those special moments of our beloved Sabado Gigante.” Don Francisco said. “It wasn’t just a great television show, it was much more: a meeting point for families and our Hispanic community. Thanks to the unconditional support of the public, we closed that chapter almost 10 years ago, but the love and respect for what we built together remains as alive as ever. Thank you so much!”
Steven Castillo, one of the writers of the skit, went on X to discuss it, saying “This goes out to all the families that remember watching this show.”
In the skit, Hernández plays the role of Don Francisco in this version of Sábado Gigante, which pretty much plays out like a real episode of the show, only shortened. The chaotic and sometimes nonsensical variety show was known for over-the-top comedy skits, cheeky contests, and special characters, like El Chacal de la Trompeta. That, alongside Don Francisco’s flamboyant personality, made Sábado Gigante a must-watch for Latine families for over five decades.
Hernández is currently the only Latino on the SNL cast.
Comedian Nate Bargatze, SNL’s host for the week, plays a confused audience member randomly selected by the host to complete several challenges to win a special prize, which turns out to be a pack of dogs. During the skit, he continues to speak in English while Hernández does the entire bit in Spanish.