‘Sábado Gigante’ Returns in ‘SNL’ Christmas Sketch Starring Paul Rudd
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Rudd doesn’t speak Spanish and is confused by the beloved, quirky variety show.
Marcello Hernández appears as Don Francisco during the “Sábado Gigante Christmas Special” sketch on ‘SNL’ on Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024.
Will Heath/NBC via Getty Images
Sábado Gigante ended in 2015, but SNL brought the long-running variety show back to TV, at least via short-form comedy, this season.
Cast member Marcello Hernández played Don Francisco in the Dec. 21 episode’s Sábado Gigante Christmas Special sketch, also starring guest Paul Rudd as a clueless audience member who doesn’t speak Spanish yet finds himself on the Sábado Gigante stage. It’s a reprisal of the role for Hernández, who first appeared as the Chilean TV star in an SNL sketch in October, when Nate Bargatze was the one who had no idea what was happening on Sábado Gigante.
Rudd, playing a man named Greg, is called to the stage as a contestant in Saturday night’s skit.
“Dónde está Greg?” Hernández announces, then waves “mi gringo favorito” over to the spotlight.
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“I’m not supposed to be here,” says Rudd, who looks lost. “I missed my flight out of Miami, and instead of a voucher, they gave me a ticket to this show.”
Hernández, in a silly Santa hat, ignores him completely and instructs him to choose a number.
Rudd picks “uno.” This turns out to be an unfortunate choice: “Miami Frosty,” or Frosty the Snowman melting in the sun and crying, “Yo soy agua,” is unveiled, to Rudd’s discomfort. “Oh, Greg. Como se dice, ‘You killed him’?” Hernández asks with feigned horror.
Later in the segment, he realizes he’s being asked a question with a prize of $1 million and needs to give Hernández an answer — rápido. Unfortunately, this question proves to puzzle poor Greg.
Watch SNL‘s Sábado Gigante Christmas Special below. Elsewhere during Saturday’s holiday episode of SNL, which was hosted by Martin Short, Hozier performed his hit “Too Sweet” and a cover of The Pogues’ “Fairytale of New York.”
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