TV & Movies
Jacob Elordi Faced Hilarious Kissing Booth Criticism While Hosting SNL
Elordi previously knocked the movies himself.
From the moment Jacob Elordi heard there’s a candle scented like his bathwater, he probably realized he’d “made it” in Hollywood. If he needs reassurance, he can also look at his most recent gig. Elordi hosted Saturday Night Live on Jan. 20, which gave him and SNL’s writers the chance to make light of his career’s highs and lows so far.
A “Gross” Movie
Elordi opened his monologue with multiple jokes about his much-buzzed-about psychological thriller Saltburn, including its TikTok appeal. Only about a minute in, however, he claimed he’s “not much of a public speaker” and decided to take questions from the audience. Immediately, it became clear that these weren’t regular audience members or regular questions. What viewers got instead was a series of awkward interactions with SNL writers and stars.
One particularly entertaining moment came when Sarah Sherman took her chance to address Elordi. “Just wanted to say, I saw your movie and I thought it was absolutely gross,” she told him. He was understanding and acknowledged that Saltburn isn’t for everyone, but — twist! — that wasn’t the movie she had in mind.
“What the hell is a salt burn?” Sherman responded. “I’m talking about The Kissing Booth. Two people kissing on the mouth? Blah.”
The Kissing Booth Shade
The moment seemed like a silly nod to the fact that Elordi himself has disparaged the three-movie Netflix rom-com series that launched his career. It wasn’t the kissing on the mouth that bothered him; rather, he’s admitted to finding them shallow.
“I’m a purist and love the movie theater, so I had this weird moral battle of ‘What am I aiding and abetting? Am I the face of this robotic, terrifying new age? Am I murdering this thing that I love?’” he told Vanity Fair in late 2020. “But there was this mentality of, ‘I’ll do whatever the f*ck I’ve got to do to get to the United States and do what I love.’”
More recently, Elordi took flak for telling GQ the Kissing Booth movies were “ridiculous” in December 2023. “I didn’t want to make those movies before I made those movies,” he said. In response, his co-star Joey King told Variety it was “unfortunate anyone would feel that way,” and some fans dubbed him “ungrateful.”
Hot Guy SNL
On top of The Kissing Booth joke, SNL had fun making light of Elordi’s Hollywood heartthrob status. When SNL writer Alex English got to ask a question, he greeted him with “Hi, babygirl,” before asking him to choose his favorite version of Elvis. Then writer Rosebud Baker followed his query up with some intense gazing. “No question. Just want to look at you,” she said. And that was before the sketches even began. Elordi went on to dazzle a group of aspiring actors, inadvertently seduce attendees at a women’s AA meeting, steal a crown from some short kings, and more.
With one episode of SNL in 2024 down so far, Elordi can claim to be the best host of the year for now. Watch the full monologue below.
Saturday Night Live airs Saturdays at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBC.
