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Fan-favorites return for SNL's 50th anniversary special

Fan-favorites return for SNL's 50th anniversary special

Washington Post17-02-2025

Arts & Entertainments
Fan-favorites return for SNL's 50th anniversary special
February 17, 2025 | 3:28 PM GMT
Characters like "Debbie Downer" and "Drunk Uncle" were brought back for the "Saturday Night Live" 50th anniversary episode on Feb. 16.

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And then outside of the writing room, in my actual life, there was a deep concern for what's going on globally. I was just getting all kinds of pressure like, 'What are you going to say? What are you going to do?' CHAPPELLE: Give me an example of where the pressure comes from — family, friends, artists, producers, execs? AMER: It was more so the fans and the public. Since I'm the only guy that's Palestinian who has a show that's centered around the Palestinian family, the pressure around that was immense: 'What are you going to do to try to help to bring people together, for people to come to their senses and to get to a resolution?' I mean, my God, there was so many phone calls and people pressuring me to speak right away. This is literally Oct. 8. CHAPPELLE: Oh, wow. AMER: I noticed everyone was yelling at each other. No one was actually listening to one another. And I think it's really important to understand what's happening before you speak out. It's really necessary to know what you're talking about. And how you say it is everything. I've always seen my art form as [a] refuge, where it allows me to be myself and express myself. Outside of that feels unnatural to me at the moment. CHAPPELLE: I know exactly what you mean. AMER: I'm sure you know better than anybody else. But in regards to the show, do you address Oct. 7? Do you not? Every time I started to implement it into the series, everything would get lost. It took over the entire narrative, and I felt like it did a massive disservice. Also, this idea of everything started on Oct. 7 is not accurate. So contextually, [in terms] of what's been going on for the last 75 years, people need to know what life was like there. CHAPPELLE: From a viewer's standpoint, it looked like a miracle of timing. Your show reads like today's paper. The issues it touches — Palestine, immigration itself — the world is wrestling with all these things, and all of a sudden there's this cathartic piece of art that touches on all of that, humanizes all of that. And it's funny, man. AMER: I hope so. I mean, sometimes it didn't feel like a comedy. There were some moments where I'm like, 'Are we fucking making a comedy?' Because I'm emotionally exhausted. I'm tanked. But to your point, I've never seen a series touch upon all these things. I wanted to go into a detention center. I quite deliberately wanted my character at the end of Season 1 to get stuck in Mexico, to see what it takes to actually get back [into the United States]. And to show the absurdities of a detention center. CHAPPELLE: I remember years ago being on a tour bus with you, and you described the whole sequence about what it was like fleeing Kuwait. And when I saw the first season of your show, it was exactly what you described on the tour bus, shot for shot. Do you remember this conversation? AMER: Of course I remember this conversation. This whole series is your fault. CHAPPELLE: How's it my fault? AMER: I was opening for you in Dallas at the House of Blues. I just got offstage, and you sat next to me. You said, 'Mo.' You had a cigarette in your mouth, as usual. CHAPPELLE: Always. AMER: You were like, 'Mo, have you ever thought about doing a short film in front of your stand-up special? And if you do it right, it could win an Emmy.' And you hit me in the shoulder. I was like, 'Oh, shit.' [After that], I was obsessed with this short film; I couldn't stop thinking about it. It just all came into me. I was like, 'Oh my God.' I started seeing my mom take the money — it was this real thing that happened when we were fleeing Kuwait — how she was getting the cash and hiding it in strategic locations in our suitcase. How she was sewing it up. I'd never seen this version of my mother. Our life was very normal. And to see her be so tactful and grab a razor and cut behind the zipper and put equal amounts of money in the lining of the purse and then sewing it back up. I just started seeing little me wearing the Pelé soccer jersey as she was assembling it, putting everything together to get ready to leave, which was obviously changing our lives forever. CHAPPELLE: But, boy, this second season. This punchline of 'Mo' was everything. It was great. And that's why I'm here. I hate doing media. Like, man, you guys have no fucking idea how amazing it is that I'm here right now. AMER: When we were taking pictures next to each other, I looked over a couple times. I literally was thinking, 'Bro, I know you hate this so much.' But also, 'He must really love the show.' CHAPPELLE: If this show sucked, and he asked me to do this, I'm not doing this shit. But, boy, by the time I got to the end of the season, it made me cry joyful tears. AMER: Bro, you have the longest sets on 'SNL.' 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