Kenan Thompson starts clapping. You know the rhythm. That Infectious, soulful, slightly manic groove kicks in, and suddenly, Bill Hader is doing a running man in a tracksuits while Fred Armisen shredded on a saxophone. It’s chaos. It’s repetitive. It’s arguably one of the greatest things to ever happen to Studio 8H.
The Saturday Night Live skit What’s Up With That shouldn't really work on paper. It is a talk show where nobody actually gets to talk. As a viewer, you’re basically watching a masterclass in comedic frustration. Hosted by the fictional Diondre Cole, the sketch follows a rigid, hilarious formula: Diondre introduces three guests, starts a song, gets carried away, and runs out of time before the third guest—always a very confused Lindsey Buckingham—can say a single word.
It’s brilliant.
The anatomy of a perfect recurring sketch
Most SNL sketches die after the third or fourth iteration because the "game" of the sketch becomes too predictable. But with the Saturday Night Live skit What’s Up With That, the predictability is the entire point. We are all waiting for the moment the song hijacks the interview.
Kenan Thompson is the glue. Honestly, without his specific energy, this whole thing would fall flat. He has this uncanny ability to make "Ooh-wee" sound like the most important phrase in the English language. He’s backed by a bizarre ensemble. You’ve got the backup singers (often played by Taran Killam and Vanessa Bayer), the aforementioned dancing mascot Giuseppe (Jason Sudeikis in a track suit), and a variety of random background characters that seem to change just enough to keep it weird.
The "game" here is escalation. It starts as a standard BET-style talk show from the early 90s, but it devolves into a fever dream of gospel, funk, and pure nonsense.
Why Lindsey Buckingham is the secret weapon
Poor Lindsey Buckingham. Not the real one, obviously—though the real Fleetwood Mac guitarist did eventually show up for a cameo—but the version played by Bill Hader.
Hader’s Buckingham is a masterpiece of silent acting. He sits there in a wig, holding a guitar, looking increasingly distressed as the clock runs out. The joke is a slow burn. The first guest (usually a real celebrity like James Franco or Bryan Cranston) gets a few words in. The second guest gets a sentence. By the time Diondre turns to Lindsey, the music starts again.
"We're out of time!"
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It's a meta-commentary on how talk shows actually function. Producers are always screaming about "hard outs" and "commercial breaks," often cutting off the most interesting people for the sake of a transition. By making the transition the entire show, SNL flipped the script.
The cultural footprint of Diondre Cole
If you look back at the history of the Saturday Night Live skit What’s Up With That, it actually debuted in 2009. That was a transitional era for the show. People were mourning the loss of the Tina Fey/Amy Poehler era and wondering if the new guard could hold it down.
Then came Kenan.
He didn’t just perform the sketch; he owned the vibe. It’s one of the few sketches that feels like a party. Most comedy relies on tension and release. This sketch is almost entirely release. It’s pure dopamine.
Interestingly, the sketch also served as a bridge between the "old" SNL and the viral era. It was short enough to be clipped for early YouTube but long enough to feel like a journey. You’ve probably seen the cameos. Everyone from Samuel L. Jackson to Paul Rudd has sat on that couch just to be ignored.
The guest stars are usually game for the joke. They have to sit there and look genuinely baffled while Sudeikis does a literal backflip in the background. It’s a test of their comedic timing. If they laugh, the spell is broken. If they stay serious, it’s gold.
Breaking down the musicality
We need to talk about the song. It’s a bop.
"What’s up with that? What’s up with that?"
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It’s catchy because it’s simple. It’s essentially a 12-bar blues structure morphed into a high-energy funk track. The band at SNL, led by Lenny Pickett, absolutely crushes the arrangement every time. The music isn't just a background element; it's a character. It’s the antagonist. It’s the thing that prevents the plot from moving forward.
In comedy theory, this is known as "repetition compulsion." The audience knows what is coming, and the joy comes from seeing how the performers get there this time. Will Sudeikis jump over the couch? Will the saxophone player fall over? Will the third guest finally snap?
Common misconceptions about the sketch
A lot of people think the sketch was written specifically for Kenan. While it fits him like a glove, it was actually a collaborative effort involving writers like Bryan Tucker. They wanted something that utilized Kenan’s singing voice and his ability to host.
Another misconception is that the guests are "wasted." Some critics early on felt that bringing in an A-list actor just to have them sit there was a waste of talent. But that's missing the point. The "waste" is the punchline. The fact that you have an Oscar winner sitting three feet away and you’d rather hear a song about "oooh-wee" is the height of absurdity.
It’s also not just a "black" sketch or a "white" sketch. It’s a weirdly universal piece of physical comedy. It taps into that universal feeling of being in a meeting that should have been an email, or a conversation where one person just won’t stop talking.
The rare times the formula broke
Sometimes, they actually let Lindsey Buckingham speak. Sort of.
When the real Lindsey Buckingham appeared in 2011, it was a moment of peak SNL. It showed that the show was in on the joke with the subjects they were parodying. The real Buckingham stood next to Hader’s Buckingham, and for a brief second, the universe aligned.
Then the music started. And he was cut off.
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That’s commitment to the bit.
How to appreciate the "What's Up With That" legacy
If you're going back to watch these on Peacock or YouTube, don't just look at Kenan. Look at the corners of the screen.
- Watch Jason Sudeikis: His dance moves are actually quite impressive and change slightly every time.
- Check the costumes: The 70s/80s variety show aesthetic is hyper-detailed, from the shiny suits to the specific font on the overlays.
- Note the guest reactions: Some guests, like Martin Short or Anne Hathaway, lean into the insanity more than others.
The Saturday Night Live skit What’s Up With That represents a specific kind of "weird SNL" that usually only happens at 12:50 AM, but it was so good it became a primetime staple. It’s a reminder that sometimes, you don't need a complex political satire or a deep character study. Sometimes you just need a catchy hook, a tracksuit, and a guy who refuses to let anyone else talk.
To really get the most out of this comedy style, pay attention to the pacing. The sketch is a lesson in rhythm. Notice how the music starts exactly when the guest starts to say something "important." It’s a sharp jab at the self-importance of celebrity culture.
The next time you’re stuck in a circular conversation or watching a talk show that feels like it’s going nowhere, just imagine Kenan Thompson sliding into the frame. It makes everything a lot more bearable.
If you want to dive deeper into why this specific era of SNL worked, start by comparing this sketch to other "host-based" sketches like The Manuel Ortiz Show. You’ll see a pattern: SNL loves a host who is the hero of their own tiny, delusional world. That’s where the best comedy lives.
Check out the 40th Anniversary special version of the sketch for the ultimate "big budget" take on the concept. It features a massive cast and proves the song is basically immortal.