In a delightful surprise for longtime SNL fans, the beloved comedy trio The Lonely Island made a grand comeback on Saturday Night Live with their first digital short in six years. Comedians Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer, and Jorma Taccone, who were responsible for some of the show’s most legendary viral sketches during Samberg’s tenure as a cast member, reunited to deliver a hilariously outrageous new rap song called “Sushi Glory Hole.”
The sketch opens with Samberg and Schaffer, dressed in slick 80s-inspired business suits, pitching their “sushi glory hole” concept to a trio of skeptical investors played by Maya Rudolph, Bowen Yang, and Kenan Thompson. With their trademark rhyming couplets and catchy beat, the duo enthusiastically sells the idea of a new restaurant chain where patrons can discreetly receive high-quality sushi through a hole in the wall.
“You forgot to eat, now you’re out and about, but you wanna be discreet, can’t be eatin’ omakase in the middle of the street,” Samberg raps, outlining the problem their business aims to solve. “Then you open the app, SGH is all over the map. So you head to a club, hit the bathroom stall, and find the sushi-size hole in the bathroom wall. Then make a wish and prepare for some shockingly high-grade fish!”
As the investors grow increasingly uncomfortable, Samberg and Schaffer continue to beg them to “hear us out” about the virtues of their unconventional dining concept. “And no gimmicky rolls, just strictly nigiri coming out of the holes,” Schaffer assures them, desperately trying to sell the idea.
By the end of the sketch, the investors had had enough and attempted to leave, but Samberg and Schaffer wouldn’t take no for an answer. In a final, creepy twist, the pair are revealed to be waiting in the backseat of Bowen Yang’s car, continuing their pitch even as he tries to escape.
The return of The Lonely Island to SNL was met with widespread excitement and acclaim from fans on social media. “THE LONELY ISLAND IN THE YEAR 2024 I’M GONNA CRY I’M ACTIVELY CRYING THIS IS THE BEST THING EVER TO HAPPEN,” one user wrote on X. “Maybe life is worth living,” added another.
The trio’s digital shorts were a hallmark of the show during Samberg’s time as a cast member from 2005 to 2012, helping to usher in a new era of viral, high-concept comedy on SNL. Classics like “D— in a Box” with Justin Timberlake, “I Just Had Sex,” and “The Shooting AKA Dear Sister” cemented The Lonely Island’s status as comedy icons.
After departing the show, the group has remained active, releasing albums, touring, and even producing a feature film (2016’s Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping). But their return to the SNL stage, even for a single sketch, is a welcomed and much-anticipated homecoming for fans who have missed their signature brand of unhinged yet strangely catchy musical comedy.
With SNL celebrating its 50th season, The Lonely Island’s appearance serves as a delightful callback to the show’s recent past while also hinting at the comedic possibilities that may still lie ahead. If this is just a taste of what’s to come in this milestone year, SNL viewers are in for a true treat.