We all remember where we were in October 2020. The world felt weird, everyone was stuck inside, and then Adele showed up on Studio 8H's stage. She wasn't there to sing—at least, that’s what she told us during her monologue. She said her album wasn't finished. She said she was too scared to do both hosting and musical guest duties.
Then the Adele Saturday Night Live skit happened. You know the one. The Bachelor parody that basically broke the internet for a solid forty-eight hours.
It’s rare for a host to use their own legendary status as a punchline so effectively. Usually, when a singer hosts SNL, they try to prove they can act by doing "serious" characters. Adele? She did the opposite. She played a version of herself so chaotic, so "extra," and so musically intrusive that it became an instant classic. But looking back, there’s actually a lot of nuance in how that episode was put together that people totally miss.
The Bachelor Parody: A Medley in Disguise
Most people watch the Adele Saturday Night Live skit—specifically the Bachelor one—and just see a funny lady singing her hits. It was actually a brilliant workaround. Since she wasn't the musical guest (that was H.E.R., who was incredible that night), Adele found a loophole to give the fans what they wanted without the pressure of a formal "performance" set.
In the sketch, she’s competing for the heart of Ben K. (Beck Bennett). She’s "Adele Adkins, 32," and she’s had some heartbreak. "First at 19, and then sort of famously at 21, and then even more famously at 25," she quips. It's a self-aware nod to her discography that immediately let the audience in on the joke.
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The comedy comes from her lack of "chill." When she doesn't get the First Impression Rose, she doesn't just cry in a confessional. She belts out "Someone Like You." When she’s on a one-on-one date? She’s screaming "When We Were Young" into Ben’s face while he’s just trying to drink wine.
The "Hello From Inside This Bush" Moment
Honestly, the peak of the sketch is when she interrupts another girl's time by singing "Hello" while literally hiding in the landscaping. "Hello from inside this bush!" is a line that still lives rent-free in my head.
It worked because Adele is perhaps the only person on earth who can be that annoying and still have you wishing she’d keep going. She even smashed a wine glass to transition into "Rolling in the Deep" when another contestant tried to "steal" Ben for a sec. It was the perfect satire of the high-stakes, manufactured drama of reality TV, layered with the absurdity of a global superstar acting like a "stage-five clinger."
Why This Episode Was a Career Pivot
Before this 2020 appearance, Adele had only been a musical guest. She was the "voice of a generation," but she was also a bit of a mystery. Her 2008 debut on the show (the Sarah Palin/Tina Fey episode) is credited with "breaking" her in America. Coming back as a host 12 years later was a full-circle moment.
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She proved she had the comedic chops of a regular cast member. In the "Fortune Teller" sketch, she played a woman in 2019 getting a reading about her 2020. It was dark, it was relatable, and she didn't break—well, not much.
Then there was the "Africa" tourism skit with Kate McKinnon. That one actually stirred up a bit of controversy. While it was intended to mock "divorced white women" finding themselves in exotic locales, some viewers felt it used Black men as props. It’s one of those moments where the humor was polarizing, but Adele’s "breaking" (laughing during the scene) made it go viral for a different reason. People love seeing her lose it; her laugh is just as famous as her belt.
The Technical Brilliance of the "Haunting" Sketch
One of the most underrated parts of her hosting stint was the "Chad" sketch with Pete Davidson. Adele played a Victorian ghost trying to share her tragic backstory.
The contrast was peak SNL:
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- Adele: High drama, period costume, incredibly soulful delivery.
- Pete Davidson: Just being Chad. "Okay." "No." "Cool."
It showed her range. She can do the broad, singing-heavy Bachelor parody, but she can also play the straight-man (or straight-ghost) to Pete’s deadpan absurdity.
The Legacy of the 2020 Appearance
When we talk about an Adele Saturday Night Live skit, we’re usually talking about her ability to humanize herself. She joked about her weight loss right at the top of the show, saying she could only bring "half" of herself due to COVID restrictions. It was a move that disarmed the tabloids immediately.
She didn't just host; she dominated the cultural conversation. By the time she finished singing her way off the Bachelor set—screaming "Catch me next week on Love Island!"—she had solidified her status as more than just a singer. She was a personality.
What You Can Learn From Adele's Hosting Style
If you're a fan of comedy or just a student of pop culture, there's a lot to take away from how she handled the pressure:
- Self-Deprecation is King: By leaning into the "sad girl" trope of her music, she took the power away from people who mock her for it.
- The "Loophole" Strategy: If you can't do the thing people expect (a full concert), find a creative way to give them a taste (the medley in the skit).
- Commit to the Bit: In the "Grandmother’s Flower Jeans" commercial, she went full "suburban mom" without winking at the camera. Total commitment makes the comedy land.
Adele hasn't hosted since, and honestly, she might not need to. That single night in 2020 provided enough meme material to last a decade. Whether she’s hiding in a bush or haunting Pete Davidson, she showed that the best way to handle being a global icon is to not take yourself seriously at all.
To get the full experience of her comedic timing, go back and watch the "Fortune Teller" sketch specifically for her facial expressions. Most people focus on the singing, but her reaction shots when Kate McKinnon describes "washing a bag of chips with soap" are where the real gold is hidden. It's a masterclass in reacting versus acting.