Yesterday, “Saturday Night Live” announced its next slate of hosts for the 50th season. On March 29, Jewish Academy Award winner Mikey Madison will host with musical guest Morgan Wallen. On April 5, Jack Black will host with musical guests Elton John and Brandi Carlisle. And on April 12, Jon Hamm will host with musical guest Lizzo.
I would be lying if I said my first thought about this news wasn’t: “Please, please, please do an ‘Anora’ Menorah sketch.” But my second thought was: “Jack Black, do the right thing. Sing ‘Chad Gadya’ on SNL.”
For those keeping score, the 55-year-old Jewish comedian is scheduled to be on “Saturday Night Live” just a week before Passover begins. And for those doubly keeping score, the 55-year-old Jewish comedian recorded the most entertaining performance of “Chad Gadya,” the silly goat song sung at the end of the seder, I’ve ever heard in my life. If you haven’t heard this bonus track from the 2019 album “Hanukkah+,” you absolutely need to drop everything right now and listen:
Goosebumps. I’ve heard this before and I still have goosebumps.
“Any lover of music and media cannot deny that Jack Black is one of the world’s greatest performers in any medium,” Jewish music writer Miri Verona wrote for Hey Alma in 2024. “Whether you love him, hate him or think ‘Nacho Libre’ is high cringe, the man puts his whole Jack Blussy into just about everything he does. The Passover bonus track on this Hanukkah compilation album is no different.”
I think the best part of Jack Black‘s performance of “Chad Gadya” is that it’s so bare bones and off-the-cuff. Where he recorded the song a cappella, a performance on SNL could utilize Lenny Pickett and the “Saturday Night Live” band for some playful, klezmer accompaniment. Maybe even turn the song into a trio with Elton John and Brandi Carlisle! I’m also envisioning cast members dressed up as the animals: Sarah Sherman as the chad gadya, James Austin Johnson as the father, Heidi Gardner as the cat, Mikey Day as the dog, Michael Longfellow as the stick, Bowen Yang as the fire, Chloe Fineman as the water, Kenan Thompson as the ox, Andrew Dismukes as the butcher, Marcello Hernandez as the Angel of Death and, of course, Lorne Michaels as God.
SNL is no stranger to a musical monologue and I personally think this would be a great way to open the show. It is so quintessentially Jack Black and even if you’re not Jewish, you can’t help but enjoy Jack’s intensity and commitment. So Jack and SNL writers, if you’re reading this, please make a Jewish girl’s Passover wish come true. What other option is there? Write actual jokes? I don’t think so.
