With Hebrew monologue, Gal Gadot debuts as SNL host

Israeli superstar actress Gal Gadot opened the second episode of Saturday Night Live’s 43rd season Saturday with a Hebrew monologue cheekily mocking the “nice but not very intelligent” writers who she said tried to have her eat hummus in every sketch.

After poking fun at her accent — “obviously I’m not from here, I’m from Alberquerque,” she joked — Gadot said she was particularly excited to make her debut as guest host of the long-running late-night program as it also marked the first time that the show would be broadcast live in Israel. “Hi Imma, Hi Abba,” she said, waving.

“I actually have a quick message for the rest of my friends and family back home,” the “Wonder Woman” star said before launching into her native Hebrew, accompanied by subtitles for the US audience.

“Hi everyone, I just wanted to let you know that this might be a big mistake. The writers here clearly know nothing about Israel. In every sketch they have me eating hummus. I mean, I like hummus, but come on. They’re nice, but they’re not very sophisticated,” she said in Hebrew. “I think they believe that I’m the actual Wonder Woman. So in short, wish me luck.”

Her monologue followed a cold open of the show with country singer Jason Aldean performing Tom Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down.” The cover was a tribute to both rock legend Petty, who died this week aged 66, and the mass shooting in Las Vegas, where at least 59 people were gunned down at a music festival while Aldean was on stage.

With the writers apparently having given up on the hummus-themed sketches, other segments of the show saw Gadot impersonating reality TV star Kendall Jenner with a take on her new show “Kendall’s World!” as she got lost in her own home, and struggling through a blind date with OJ Simpson.

In a sketch spoofing Wonder Woman, Gadot locked lips with SNL regular Kate McKinnon when the later, playing a lesbian, arrived in Themyscira, the mythical island only inhabited by beautiful women where the superheroine hails from.

Gadot gamely offers to kiss McKinnon “and see if I feel something.” After a lengthy, passionate smooch, Wonder Woman declares that, “I’m sorry I feel nothing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agm3oDf5CcM

The choice of Gadot to host an SNL episode comes after Wonder Woman, in which the Israeli actress played the lead role, was a box office smash this summer, grossing over $800 million worldwide.

In light of the movie’s success, Gadot has signed on to star in a sequel. She also plays the character of Wonder Woman in “Justice League,” which is slated to hit theaters in November.