On "SNL," Santa's Elves Are Concerned About "Stu"

If you had “Christmas-themed parody of Eminem’s ‘Stan’” on your Saturday Night Live Bingo card this week, you might be ecstatic right about now. If you’re reading this with some bemusement — a Christmas-themed parody of…what? — keep reading; all will be explained.

It has been 20 years since Eminem’s “Stan” first hit the airwaves, telling the story of an obsessed fan through a series of letters. What might happen, you might ask, if the recipient of a similar series of missives was Santa Claus? Hence Pete Davidson as a Santa-obsessed rapper who really, really wants a PS5, and whose letters to the North Pole have the elves very worried about their own safety.

The combination of the song parody and the Christmas theme can feel a little random at times, though there are a few moments that push at the limits of the sketch, including Bowen Yang’s very intense portrayal of Elton John. And there’s a beat at the end that adds a whole new layer to the self-referential nature of the parody.

Was it the most surreal musical moment from last night’s Saturday Night Live? No; that honor would have to go to the sketch where Kyle Mooney shot an animated bird with a bow and arrow. But Davidson riffing on Eminem is pretty entertaining to watch, and that counts for a lot.