Colman Domingo Gets Rave Reviews In 'SNL' Host Debut

Colman Domingo is an overnight success – if by overnight, you mean two decades. But the 56-year-old actor is having his moment right now. He was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor two years in a row for the movies Sing Sing (2023) and Rustin (2024). He’s one of the few sympathetic characters on Euphoria, and he’s starring in the upcoming Michael biopic releasing April 24.

This weekend, he also became a first-time Saturday Night Live host. The Afro-Latino actor, who traces his ancestry to Brazil but grew up in West Philadelphia, appeared alongside musical guest Anitta, also from Brazil.

Domingo seems like a vibe in real life and kept the good feeling flowing on the show, appearing in one of his impeccably styled ‘fits, this one a black suit with strong shoulders, sequined lapels, and satin pants.

“I’m so excited to be here hosting Saturday Night Live. I’ve been an actor since the ’90s, so you may be sitting here thinking where do I know him from?” he started off. “And it’s probably because I’ve been in a lot of things; Fear the Walking Dead, Lincoln, Four Seasons, Sing Sing. I was Carly in iCarly, I was inside C-3PO’s suit in Star Wars, and I’m also your uncle.”

He continued, “I’m practically in everything, like raisins in a Caucasian cookout.”

Domingo also joked about how he knows which fans will respond to the show he’s been on.

“If you’re a Latin bro, I’m like, oh, Fear the Walking Dead. But if it’s a girl under 20 or a creepy dude over 30, that’s Euphoria.”

As hosts do, Domingo was a major part of SNL, starring in multiple skits. He played NASA pilot and astronaut Victor Glover in one, trying to share his inspiring thoughts about the mission as his co-astronauts floated by with one joke after another.

In another skit, he plays a pimp who comes to pay his respects to a man whose sons are unaware that he lived a double life.

Another segment showed Domingo as a professor of couture explaining the “boho-derogatory” fashion on a male bank robbery suspect.

He vowed to make sure that the audience felt as though they were experiencing a night at his home, which we’re sure is both lavish and cozy. But just like a house party, sometimes things get funky at the end.

Domingo’s closing speech was cut off for live TV viewers before he could finish it. Fortunately, the internet made up for that, and SNL shrugged it off, explaining that sometimes, given the show’s timing, the goodbyes are interrupted before it signs off.

“Tonight is for all the little boys in inner cities, all the little girls in small corners of Brazil,” Domingo said. “Tonight is for the dreamers. Tonight is for the people who bring light into the world, especially (SNL creator) Lorne Michaels and this beautiful cast.”

He concluded, “Thank you to the band. Thank you to everyone who came, to come together in a dark room and just laugh, when we need more laughter in the world. This has been an epic night, and we want to send you away with a big ol’ kiss and love, and to love on each other. Thank you so much to every single one of you in this building.”

See social media’s reaction to Domingo hosting SNL below.