Last night’s Saturday Night Live episode was hosted by Spider-Man actor Willem Dafoe in his hosting debut, alongside singer and LGBTQ community advocate Katy Perry in her fifth appearance on the show.
Perry first performed her most recent single “When I’m Gone” with the song’s featured artist, Alesso, in addition to several background dancers — who were donning mushroom costumes that gave them a rather phallic appearance.
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Whether intentional or not, Perry’s first half of her performance on SNL got viewers’ attention — for one reason or another.
Perry eventually sat on (the knee of) one of the performing mushrooms. The dancers also flashed hand fans that read “EAT ME” throughout their performance, which Rolling Stone deemed as “Alice in Wonderland-esque.”
I’m watching Katy Perry sing on SNL among a lineup of dancers dressed like mushrooms that look like penises – is not a sentence I expected to write in 2022.
— Eric Deggans at NPR (@Deggans) January 30, 2022
Does @katyperry have penis costumes dancing behind her on #SNL ?? What the hell lmao pic.twitter.com/mIJ64fijyg
— Tweeter Twats (@jdkisntfunny) January 30, 2022
Katy Perry dancing with a bunch of penis mushrooms is a choice #SNL pic.twitter.com/VbcvEWeZ3s
— James White (@G4TOR24) January 30, 2022
@katyperry mushroom dancers on SNL have the most unfortunate phallic outfits. I wish I could tell you what the song is about but I can’t stop giggling like a 9 year old. Put some pants on those mushrooms 🙈
— Elizabeth Guzman (@Spinmomster) January 30, 2022
well guys i’m ready to be booked as one of katy’s backup dancer dressed as penis. just lmk @katyperry
KATY PERRY ON SNL
WE LOVE YOU KATY— v (@nevhoewornwhite) January 30, 2022
Love Katy Perry but I’m gonna be up,up, up with nightmares about those mushrooms! #SNL pic.twitter.com/wJzymQIedR
— Joey D (@OldSchool_JoeyD) January 30, 2022
I’m calling dibs on Katy Perry & the penis mushroom dancers for Halloween. pic.twitter.com/NwgPhBwk6R
— Glen Mazzara (@glenmazzara) January 30, 2022
I have no choice but to respect @katyperry for putting a bunch of dancing dongs with bulbous fleshy nutsack legs on network TV pic.twitter.com/Rsjnmlfo1H
— Rob Sheridan (@rob_sheridan) January 30, 2022
For her second performance, Perry sung her 2019 song “Never Really Over” on a mushroom-adorned set, but not with the mushroom dancers aside her.
Regardless, her performances excited fans and created plenty of buzz.
I appreciate that Katy Perry is both sexy and weird. Very hard line to straddle but she did it. I tip my hat to her.
— CORINNE FISHER (@PhilanthropyGal) January 30, 2022
Katy Perry did her thing on SNL tonight
— Scott Lazer (@scott_lazer) January 30, 2022
Not really a #KatyPerry fan but I loved that whole mushroom in the forest performance on #SNL
— LuvJones (@yjones143) January 30, 2022
Another portion of the show that made buzz was former NFL quarterback Peyton Manning surprise-appearing on the show’s “Weekend Update” segment alongside Colin Jost.
Jost planned to ask Manning about the NFL playoffs last weekend and the rumored retirement of seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady, but Manning instead was determined to talk about — and break down — the Netflix series Emily In Paris.
Manning said, “I had an hour to kill before the first game, so just for fun, I put on the first episode of Emily in Paris Season 2, and I watched the entire season straight through… Oh my god, Colin. This show has everything: romance, adventure, sensuality, culture, a fresh take on feminism, finally, not to mention a culinary tapestry so rich, I could only describe it as ‘food porn.’”
Peyton Manning stopped by Update to talk…Emily in Paris? pic.twitter.com/mjq9s09MaD
— Saturday Night Live – SNL (@nbcsnl) January 30, 2022
Aidy Bryant and out cast member Bowen Yang also appeared on “Weekend Update” alongside Michael Che, portraying “trend forecasters.”
They deemed things such as “male cleavage” and “doing the damn dishes” as trends that are “in,” while “movie posters as décor” and “Michael Che” were out.
the trends are in!!! pic.twitter.com/y1J6dwZrVj
— Saturday Night Live – SNL (@nbcsnl) January 30, 2022
Watch Perry’s performance of “When I’m Gone” with Alesso below.