From R. Kelly’s viral interview with Gayle King to Pete Davidson’s discussion of the many accusations of sexual abuse against Kelly and Michael Jackson, this weekend’s Saturday Night Live was rife with social commentary. (Hell, even the more playful “The Impossible Hulk” sketch with Idris Elba and Cecily Strong took some swings.) But when it came to Weekend Update’s latest dive into Gwyneth Paltrow’s vilified Goop brand, the show seemed to be pulling its punches — especially when Paltrow herself cameoed alongside cast member Heidi Gardner.
Gardner reprised her character Baskin Johns, a Goop staffer with low self-esteem who can’t seem to remember what she’s selling, for the segment with Weekend Update co-host Michael Che. After her inevitable breakdown two minutes into the pitch, she brought out her supervisor “Pfeiffer” to help seal the deal. “Pfeiffer, I need your help because I’m really afraid that Gwen is gonna fire me,” she said. The supervisor’s response? “No, she doesn’t believe in ‘firing,’ remember? It’s called ‘conscious-unemploying.'”
The remaining minute and a half of the segment features Paltrow’s character taking over for Gardner’s, like when she explains that salt is really just “angry sugar.” Within seconds, however, she becomes just as nervous as her employee and ultimately forgets many of the Goop products she’s there to sell to the Studio 8H audience.
