‘SNL’: Zoe Kravitz Makes Hosting Debut, But Multiple Catwomen Crash Her Monologue
Zoë Kravitz kicked off the latest Saturday Night Live episode with a vibrant cat-themed monologue.
“I currently have a new movie out called The Batman,” she explains at the top of her debut appearance as host of the variety sketch series. “In the movie I play Catwoman. Sorry, THE Catwoman. To prepare for the role I watched the movie musical Cats every day for a year, which I actually heard was the same way Joaquin Phoenix prepared to play The Joker.”
More from The Hollywood Reporter
At that moment, castmember Kate McKinnon emerges in a catwoman costume: “Is someone talking about cats?” she asks. Kravitz responds, “I was, I was just doing my monologue.” A pause. “You’re also catwoman?”
“Yes, I’m catwoman from the ‘90s, the one with the whip,” declares McKinnon in character. “You know like cats have. Zoe you’re part of a proud lineage of catwomen, each with their own origin story. Do you want to know mine?” She proceeds to explain that she “fell out of a window onto a pile of cats.” They licked her back to life and now she’s “just like Sandy from a porno version of Grease.” McKinnon clarifies: “It’s still called Grease.”
Kravitz tries to get back on track with delivering her monologue. But of course, McKinnon stops her right there. “Hang on, we must fire up the cat signal.” A glowing cat image appears, which Kravitz describes as a “noble cat ready to pounce.” But McKinnon has other ideas: “Or maybe it’s just doing its business in the litter box.”
Ego Nwodim appears on stage, having seen the cat signal and arriving prepared to rescue someone from danger. “You’re catwoman too,” observes Kravitz. Nwodim explains, “I was the first Black catwoman.” Kravitz responds that, of course, she is Eartha Kitt from the 1960s TV version. “People called it campy, turns out it was just super gay,” says Nwodim.
Kravitz comments how “nice” it feels to have so much “catwoman energy” on stage, though she should really get back to her monologue. She attempts to turn off the cat signal – but Aidy Bryant appears as a cat woman — or a “cat lady,” as she describes — pushing a shopping cart containing an actual cat, and expressing her desire to meet [musical guest] Rosalia.
As Kravitz once again tries to get back to her monologue, Bryant announces that she’s hosted the show dozens of times in her mind, “where it’s called Saturday Night Cats.” Kravitz ponders whether “Caturday Night Live” is more appropriate.
She concludes of the whole experience, “I was really not expecting to meet so many cat people. And not that I don’t love it, but maybe that’s enough… ”
But it’s not over yet. Chris Redd joins the group as Katt Williams, who also is there to meet Rosalia. Kravitz points out he is “not even a woman,” and Redd explains that he’s a “lover of women.”
With the group together on stage, Nwodim declares: “Right now, the world needs as many cat women as it can get.”
And finally, Kravitz is able to say: “We’ve got a great show for you tonight… ”
View the monologue below.
Best of The Hollywood Reporter
