Tina Fey’s ‘SNL’ Monologue Is A Star-Studded Ending To The Season

One of the biggest criticisms current-day SNL is that the show is too reliant on celebrity guest stars. Tonight’s cold open, for instance, was dominated by non-cast members Alec Baldwin, Ben Stiller, and Robert De Niro — meanwhile, I’m pretty sure Luke Null hasn’t been seen in weeks. Rather than give more time to Pete Davidson and Melissa Villaseñor, Tina Fey’s monologue acknowledged SNL‘s love of famous people by… talking to every famous person in New York.

The cameos included a return appearance from De Niro, but also Jerry Seinfeld (who’s curious why SNL hasn’t asked him to impersonate someone in the news — Steven Mnuchin, maybe?), Benedict Cumberbatch, Chris Rock, Fred Armisen (he has a great juice guy in Los Angeles), Anne Hathaway, and Donald Glover, who got his first TV writing job thanks to Fey. (“Donald didn’t pitch for Tracy, the way you’d expect,” she recently told the New Yorker. “He pitched for Kenneth.” The Solo: A Star Wars Story star explained it’s because he had “more in common with Kenneth than with Tracy at that point — I was a wide-eyed kid, eager to please.”) Also in attendance: Tracy Morgan, who was on-hand to celebrate his 30 Rock co-star’s birthday (she turned 48 on Friday) and, in true Tracy Jordan fashion, to get musical guest Nicki Minaj pregnant.

If only all of SNL‘s guest stars were so honest, and hilarious.