Ariana DeBose killed her Saturday Night Live monologue! She was fluent, energetic, engaging, lively, funny, proud, and looked terrific. After debuting on SNL on January 15, 2022, the 30-year-old actress and winner of the Golden Globe Award for her role as Anita in Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story took to social media to thank everyone for the support and share her experience hosting the iconic comedy show for the first time.
“The smile on my face says it all,” the star began. “That was, no lie, one of the craziest weeks of life so far, but such a thrilling ride. There’s nothing- I repeat- nothing like @nbcsnl,” she assures.
© GettyImages“I have so much respect for this cast, crew & creative team producers et all. The amount of work & creativity that goes in to making this show happen is astounding. And they do this all the time. For 47 SEASONS!” she wrote. “I cannot say it enough. Thank you Lorne & @nbcsnl for having me🙏🏾 Thank you to the entire cast for letting me play in the magical sandbox that is studio 8H with all of you. I’m in awe of your talent. Special shout outs to SM Gena Rositano and team, OG Donna my wrangler (she’s never missed an entrance y’all), Jeff Blake, Steve Higgins, Lindsay Shookus. We’ll just everyone. AND THESE WRITERS!!! Thank you @nbcsnl for letting me be a guest in your insane and wonderful home!
After publishing the post, SNL cast members and fans of the Puerto Rican descent star flooded her comments section with congratulatory messages. “You were A BRIGHT LIGHT! Thank you for being so funny, kind, and fun to be around. You made the week so sweet!!!!! Congratulations on everything!” said Heidi Gardner. “You beyond killed it!!! And we’re such a joy to be around. Thanks for still talking to me after hump dance lmaoo,” Chloe Fineman wrote.
“so proud!! idk if you’ll see this but your my favorite actress. i watched you in hamilton and you were fantastic. my favorite broadway musical is the prom. i saw it august 2019 and got to meet izzy and the cast after!! i loved you in the prom. your such an inspiration in my life ariana!!! i saw west side story with my brother and LOVED IT!! we are now obsessed! you were fantastic on snl!! you were so funny and sassy and the BEST HOST that’s ever been on snl!!” a fan wrote.
Despite the praise, once or twice in our lives we are going to encounter someone finding joy in pinpointing our errors, and Ariana made sure to cut negativity right from the root.
© SNLAn Instagram “troll” criticized her after confusing years —and to be honest, we don’t blame her! The pandemic has made us feel like if we were stuck in 2020. “She know it‘s 2022 not 2020 right????” the person asked, and Ariana wasn’t here for it. “You try hosting SNL, reading cue cards with slight dyslexia and then get back to me brah,” the actress responded.
The Instagram user continued writing unpleasant comments, and DeBose decided to flip the page. “Cool. You’re a troll. Bye,” she concluded.
The Tony Award nominee SNL performance was impeccable; therefore, everyone thought the error was part of the script. “I thought it was part of the joke! Because you know it’s like 2020 all over again!” writer and producer Julissa Natzely Arce Raya wrote. “Forget the haters! You were amazing!!!!”
