As one YouTube commenter perceptively observed, only the “offensive characters” – all played by people of color – broke during this sketch. (Yes, technically Pete Davidson broke too. But Pete Davidson always breaks. That’s what he’s there for.)
It didn’t manage to top Dave Chappelle’s scorching monologue that kicked off the show, but this “Uncle Ben” sketch has some heat to it. The sketch revisits a moment earlier in 2020 when brands reacted to America’s forever-ongoing racial reckoning by shutting down the Black faces of those brands, like Aunt Jemima (Maya Rudolph) and Uncle Ben (Kenan Thompson).
Guest hosts often collaborate with the SNL writing team to develop sketches, and this one in particular has the feel of something Chappelle led the charge on.