Colman Domingo made his debut as a host on Saturday Night Live on April 12, but fans were left disappointed when his closing monologue was abruptly cut short. The show ran over its scheduled time, which meant the 56-year-old actor was unable to finish a single sentence before the live broadcast transitioned to a commercial break.
Domingo had only managed to say, “Tonight is for all the boys of inner cities…” before being cut off live on air. This moment sparked immediate backlash from fans on social media, who expressed their frustration that he couldn’t complete his farewell at the end of the show.
The Euphoria star, who recently appeared in an exciting trailer for season three, was joined by musical guest Anitta for her own debut on the show. Fans took to X (formerly Twitter) to voice their discontent, with one user complaining that he “took so long to start his goodnights [that] they got cut off!”
Another social media user tweeted: “PEACOCK I KNOW YOU DID NOT JUST CUT OFF COLMAN DOMINGO.” A fan wrote, “I hate how NBC cuts off the good nights,” while another chimed in, “Ugh they cut short the ending.” One X user even tweeted, “Oh my god they just cut off Coleman’s good night,” alongside two crying emojis.
Despite the controversy, some fans still praised the overall performance. One wrote, “I knew he was going to get cut off, but good show overall.” Another viewer added, “Whoops, Colman botched the goodbye.”
At the beginning of the night, Domingo—who will soon appear on big screens again as Michael Jackson’s father Joe Jackson in the upcoming biopic—kicked off his opening monologue by setting the “vibes.” He began by highlighting his decades-spanning film and TV career, naming some of his most recognizable roles.
“Now I have been an actor since the 90s,” he said at one point before joking that he had taken on so many roles he’s “also your uncle.” He joked that he was “practically in everything like raisins in a Caucasian cookout.”
Domingo also made jokes about how he has a wide-ranging fanbase due to the many different types of projects he has worked on over the years. He noted that “bros” know him from The Walking Dead while “young girls and creepy dudes” recognize him from Euphoria.
He went on to show off “how adorable” he is as he set the “vibes” by having the crew adjust the lighting, the band play slow jazz, and the cameraman change the angle. His performance included a variety of sketches, where he played a fashion school professor and the owner of a Black barbershop offering therapy for white guys.
There was also a NASA sketch from the Artemis II crew, one based on an old PBS rerun, and an Animorphs spoof titled Beastomorphs among many others.
Saturday Night Live airs weekends on NBC and is available to stream on Peacock. Up next, Olivia Rodrigo will be taking on double duty as both host and musical guest on May 2. The following week, Matt Damon will host the May 9 episode with musical guest Noah Kahan. On May 16, Will Ferrell will be hosting and Paul McCartney will be performing as the musical guest.
