When Olivia Rodrigo steps onto the Studio 8H stage Saturday night, she won’t just be carrying the weight of a double-duty performance; she’ll be carrying the pride of a community that has waited far too long for this moment.
The history of Filipino Americans on Saturday Night Live is surprisingly short. We have to look all the way back to 2012 to find the first: Bruno Mars.
During his stint as host and musical guest, Mars didn't shy away from his identity, proudly mentioning his Filipino and Puerto Rican roots. It was a milestone that felt like a breakthrough, yet the door didn't exactly swing wide open afterward.
In fact, of the more than 1000 episodes of SNL, not many Asian Americans have had the hosting job at all. Despite the massive contributions of the community to the arts, the roster of AANHPI hosts remains a small, exclusive club. We’ve seen trailblazers like Jackie Chan and Lucy Liu way back in 2000, followed by a long drought until Aziz Ansari in 2017, followed quickly with Kumail Nanjiani, Awkwafina in 2018, Sandra Oh in 2019 and Simu Liu in 2021.
Now, at the start of AANHPI Heritage Month, Rodrigo has the floor. Let's hope that like Bruno, Olivia uses the opportunity to bring her racial rooots to America's attention.
For SNL's episode this Saturday she is set to perform her lead single "Drop Dead" and has teased a brand-new, unheard song from her upcoming album, You Seem Pretty Sad For A Girl So In Love.
As for the comedy, fans are looking forward to Rodrigo's recurring role as "Georgina" in a follow-up to her popular "Tiny Ass Bag" sketch. She’s also been seen in promos parodying The Devil Wears Prada, with James Austin Johnson taking on a spot-on Miranda Priestly, suggesting we might see some fashion-forward satire tomorrow night.
For a show that has often been criticized for its lack of diversity, having a Filipina powerhouse lead the penultimate episode of Season 51 isn't just "good timing"—it’s a long-overdue spotlight on the talent that has always been there.
EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news, views and chismis from an AANHPI perspective, follow me on Threads, on X, BlueSky or at the blog Views From the Edge. If you find this perspective interesting, please repost.
No comments:
Post a Comment