Who Knew We All Needed an SNL SÁBADO GIGANTE Skit?

But we did

Author

Julio Ricardo Varela
October 07, 2024

Via SNL (Nate Bargatze and Marcello Hernández)

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It took SNL only 50 years to realize that if it leaned into U.S. Latinidad with fresh writing and cultural takes, it might become a go-to show for the country’s Latino population. Saturday night’s “Sábado Gigante” skit was perhaps the most brilliant Latino-centric moment in the history of the show. (Ok, I might give you the “Age of Discovery” bit from 2023, which renewed my faith that SNL has an opportunity to expand audiences. And yeah, Fred Armisen was way ahead of his time.)

Still, it’s safe to say that when it comes to Latinos, SNL and comedy, “Sábado Gigante” is now the new standard. It resonated on so many levels, not only because the original institution of a show with Don Francisco was a staple for so many Latino families back in the day (the kitschiness, the weirdness, the schlock, all of it felt strangely comforting back then), but SNL went straight after how cultures can mix in this country and produce laughs.

If you haven’t seen the full skit, enjoy it.

Marcello Hernández crushed it, and I can’t think of a better uncomfortable American than Nate Bargatze to play the role of the unsuspecting contestant. It reminds me of the days when I had to explain the Sábado Gigante phenomenon to my non-Latino friends.

It’s about time. Apparently, many agree that this skit is exactly what we all needed.

Even Don Francisco agreed.

What We’re Reading

Latinos in Arizona and Nevada: USA Today’s Rebecca Morin filed a Monday morning story about new polling from Suffolk University (Go Rams!) and “The Nation’s Newspaper.” As Rebecca writes, “More than half –57%– of Latino voters in Arizona said they plan to vote for or lean toward Harris, while 38% said they lean toward Trump, according to a statewide poll of 500 likely Hispanic voters there. Harris also leads Trump among Latino voters in Nevada, 56% to 40%, the statewide poll of 500 likely Hispanic voters found.”

Harris leads among Latinos in swing states, but it may not be enough

Harris holds an edge among Latino voters in Arizona and Nevada. But Trump is making inroads, exclusive polls find.

www.usatoday.com

Part of the reason why the support in this poll for Harris is not at the same 2020 level as it was for Biden?

Young Latino men in Nevada and Arizona.

Migrant Crossings at Lowest in Biden Administration: What Camilo Montoya-Galvez of CBS tweeted out on Monday morning.

The Latino Justice Climate Framework: Also on Monday, advocacy group GreenLatinos released its 2025-2028 Latino Justice Climate Framework, which, according to a media release, “expands on climate issues directly impacting Latinos and the solutions needed to address outstanding environmental and racial injustices.”

The Latino Climate Justice Framework – El Plan De Nuestra Gente

The new LCJF 2025-2028 represents our collective voice, calls for environmental liberation for all & serves as blueprint to advocate for our comunidades.

www.lcjf.greenlatinos.org

About the Author

Julio Ricardo Varela is the founder and interim publisher of The Latino Newsletter.

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