There was a time not long ago when daytime television was home to rowdy studio audiences and shocking results of paternity tests — including the host occasionally uttering the phrase “You are not the father.” (The catchphrase was said by Maury Povich, not — as some believe — Jerry Springer.) It was a strange time for television, and it went to inspire a host of pop culture descendants — as well as an actual musical.
Well, the aforementioned era can also add “Saturday Night Live sketch that aired in 2024″ to its list of inspirations. The sketch’s premise is simple: a young man (played by Andrew Dismukes) revisits a number of home videos with his parents (Mikey Day and guest host Dakota Johnson) and grandmother (Sarah Sherman). The first minute or so feels genuinely heartwarming; then, the family gets to the last tape in the box and things take a turn.
The sketch makes good use of all of its actors, including guest host Johnson — who was at her funniest in this episode when she got to go big. (See also: this week’s sketch in which she and Please Don’t Destroy take turns roasting one another, which also revealed that nepo babies have a secret handshake.)
Millennials Have Mixed Emotions About Jerry Springer’s Death
Some turned to Twitter to mourn the loss of Springer, and others vocalized their frustration with his show’s transphobiaMuch like the 2022 SNL sketch that riffed on a memorable Six Flags commercial, this one turned very specific very quickly. But the beatific way in which the older versions of Day’s and Johnson’s characters look back on this blast from the past — wholly unaware of how disturbing their son finds it — only makes it funnier.
This article was featured in the InsideHook newsletter. Sign up now.