Food is messy, it’s routine, it’s mundane. It’s also funny, and often absurd. No one knows this more than the players and writers behind Saturday Night Live. For 50 years, they’ve captured all that makes food so comical week in and week out, where it’s been everything from a vehicle for physical humor to a symbol of class tension.
To celebrate 50 years of laughs and food-centered comedy, former and current SNL cast members Ana Gasteyer, Ego Nwodim, and Sarah Sherman stopped by Bon Appétit to chat about the intersections of comedy and food, where they find inspiration and what they really think about eating on-set. They also spoke about their own memorable sketches and how food can fuel laughter.
Beyond the immediately funny, some of SNL’s most iconic work is more subtle, a conduit for exploring topics like etiquette. “Lisa from Temecula” leans into the social mores we find cringe-worthy in a restaurant. What if someone just didn’t care about what other people thought? Lisa is unaware of what’s happening around her as she’s cutting into steak—she’s unapologetic about getting food the way she wants it. Others at the table are weird for judging her.
Sarah Sherman’s “Meatballs” sketch is less about food and more about semi-sentient meatballs-as-bodily growths and how they ruin a date. Does it make sense? No, but these weird little guys, with their catchy lil song, are strangely compelling—because the sketch commits to the bit, awkward chuckles become genuine laughs. Spills, stains, and sheer excess: Absurdity is the name of the game.
In 1998’s “Delicious Dish” sketch, Ana Gasteyer and Molly Shannon as velvet-voiced NPR hosts calmly describe Pete Schweddy’s (Alec Baldwin) meatball prep. Were any of us listening to the content of the conversation? Not really, but only because the three actors were so straight-faced in their embrace of innuendo, we paid attention to nothing else.
Gasteyer, Nwodim, and Sherman also participated in a few rounds of restaurant-related banter in the test Kitchen; be sure to check out Bon Appétit’s Instagram and Food People podcast for the full conversation.
Whether it’s physical gags or just plain weirdness, SNL will never run out of ways to make food hilarious. After all, everyone eats—just not always gracefully.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Photographed and directed by Justin J Wee
Video by Reagan Petrehn
Styling by Britt Theodora (Nwodim), Emily Sanchez (Gasteyer), DyShaun Burton (Sherman).
Styling assistance by Trèvon Smith.
Hair by Takuya Yamaguchi (Nwodim), Siji Yamada (Gasteyer), Gina Ferrucci (Sherman).
Makeup by Billie Gene (Nwodim), Jessi Butterfield (Gasteyer), Rachel Paganai (Sherman).
Food styling by Lauren Bloomberg
Set design and props by Kristen Dempsey
FASHION CREDITS:
On Nwodim: Dress by Altuzarra Etta, earrings by Heaven Mayhem, cuff by AGMES.
On Gasteyer: Top and skirt by Tanya Taylor earrings and necklace by Mejuri, ring by Maria Jose.
On Sherman: Vintage red turtleneck.
