Saturday Night Live started its new season with a bang. The Pete Davidson-hosted premiere featured cameos from Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce. Additionally, the show lampooned the NFL’s coverage of Swift’s attendance at Kansas City Chiefs games.
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Swift is no stranger to the Saturday Night Live stage. The superstar has appeared on the show a total of six times now. Her fifth appearance on the show was in 2021. Then, she performed a 10-minute version of “All Too Well.” In last night’s premiere episode, she didn’t perform. Instead, she introduced her friend Ice Spice to the audience.
However, that’s not the only nod to Swift in last night’s episode of the long-running show. A sketch parodying the NFL’s newfound fascination with the singer’s rumored relationship with Travis Kelce also appeared on the show. Additionally, Kelce made a brief cameo at the end of the skit.
In the sketch, Kenan Thompson, Mikey Day, James Austin Johnson, Devon Walker and Molly Kearney portrayed members of the NFL on Fox analysts. Their discussion of an Eagles-Jets game turns into a competition to see which of the analysts is the biggest Swiftie.
Frustrated, Thompson—portraying Curt Menefee—ended the discussion with “You know what? I’m done. When we get back, we are gonna speak with someone who actually wants to talk football!” Then, Kelce makes a cameo. “Yes, please!” he said before the show cut to a commercial break. Watch the skit below.
It seems that everyone has been closely watching Swift in recent weeks. Her Eras Tour and the resulting concert film drew fans by the thousands. Additionally, the rumor mill has been going mad over her rumored relationship with the Kansas City Chiefs tight end. Her attendance at Chiefs games this season has fueled those rumors. As a result, much NFL coverage has centered around Swift and her friends watching games from the skybox.
The “Bad Blood” singer’s impact on the sport can’t be ignored. Coverage of Swift’s attendance at games reportedly gave NFL on NBC a bump in viewership. More specifically girls between 14 and 18 as well as women between the ages of 18 and 24 flocked to the broadcast in droves.
In short, the NFL and SNL have entered their Taylor Swift Era. One can only wonder what the superstar will dominate next.
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