Druski's 'SNL' Host Stint Is the Most Interesting Move the Show Has Made in Years
As *Saturday Night Live* airs this season with lesser-known cast members, uneven sketches, and the again-glaring misogyny of Shane Gillis, news that comedian and internet personality Druski, performing as Drew Dozerdz, will host the November 7 episode suddenly gave me hope. I think it is the most interesting thing *SNL* has done in […]
With "Saturday Night Live" floundering this season with little-known actors, uneven designs and yet another terrible appearance by outspoken misogynist Shane Gillis, the news that comedian and Internet personality Drosky, aka Drew Desbords, will be hosting the Nov. 7 episode suddenly gave me hope. I think it's the funnest thing "SNL" has done in years.
Admittedly, I'm not the biggest Saturday Night Live fan. I've rarely tuned in over the years, usually only when I find an actor or artist interesting hosts. In the past decade, it's been rare: Eddie Murphy hosted in 2019, Megan T. Stallion appeared in the iconic Girl Talk sketch with Ego Nodim, and Dave Chappelle appeared in 2025, where he paid tribute to his favorite sitcom Chappelle. But during these years, I was mostly not interested in tuning. Related Story Review 'The Housewife': Naomi Watts A watchable but weak true story of hidden Nazism in suburban Queens Review 'The Ancestors': An exquisite Eanna Hardwicke is a whimsical elegy for a lost generation.
The idea of bringing Druski to Studio 8H at least seems like a cutting edge thing that the old "SNL" might have done. The 32-year-old comedian is the first creator to ever host the show, which has made a lot of noise about influencers entering spaces previously reserved for "real celebrities." But I'd argue Drosky has never been an influencer. He has always been a comedian first, an artist who honed his craft by posting short videos on his Instagram page and eventually building a natural audience with over 35 million followers and billions of views on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. Popular in Variety
Until recently, mainstream studios and broadcasters ignored Drosky in favor of blondes who had never read a book. However, Druski has been a household name in the black community for nearly a decade. Just a few years after Post was released, the Maryland-born comedian appeared in music videos for major hip-hop artists like Drake and Lil Yachty. Instead of using a musician to open their 2021 tour, rappers J. Cole and 21 Savage opened for Drosky. In addition to his comedy work, Drosky created Coulda Been Records, which allowed artists to join and collaborate on his Instagram Live posts. In 2023, he starred in the Peacock film Praise This alongside Chloe Bailey, and in 2025 he launched the 10-city Colada Fest tour, which sold out immediately.
Still, it's Drosky's ability to keep his finger on the pulse of the social touchstone with complex, funny, and personally invested plots that makes him almost a unique creature in today's comedy landscape. While older comedians rehash tired material or appear in prequels and sequels to the latest recycled IP, Drosky calls out the hypocrisy of megachurches and takes Erica Kirk to task while indicting white supremacy and American conservatism. On a more nuanced level, his work describes the horrors of 21st-century dating, "hat fishing" (when men hide their balding hairlines under hats) and the panic we all feel at airports when faced with aggressive and impatient TSA agents. Drosky's comedy embodies what it means to be a young American at this particular moment.
Although his perspective is often through a black lens, American culture as a whole is often separated from black culture before it enters the mainstream. Because black people have been so subjugated in this country through slavery, Jim Crow, racism, and now the Trump administration, knowing how to weave in and out of white spaces is essential to black survival. However, that revolving door doesn't work the other way around. As a result, the mainstream often has blind spots or is years late in "discovering" black talent.
This is why so many people publicly applauded Will Smith's actions at the 2024 Oscars, while black people as a whole still feel that Chris Rock deserves that slap. There's a reason comparing Taylor Swift to Beyoncé never made sense, or why marketing campaigns like Sidney Sweeney's "Good Genes" get the green light when DEI is purged from boardrooms. Or that someone has the idea that Kendall Jenner is suddenly the person who solves racism with Pepsi. This is why movies, commercials, and television have felt stale and uninspired for years. Innovation only happens when new ideas and perspectives are considered.
For black talent like Drosky—and even Issa Rae before her—rejection means taking everything and building an audience organically. It is only later that the mainstream wakes up and strikes after something has been built. In fact, "SNL" is long overdue in bringing Drosky to its stage: In June, he hosted the 2026 BET Awards, becoming the youngest host in the show's 25-year history. He is also set to star in the upcoming film The Catch alongside Chris Pine and Emma Stone.
Drosky has worked for years to build his platform and digital leverage that goes beyond the narrow term "influencer." He has been a shining star in the black community for years. Everyone else — including "SNL" — is catching up now.