Jalen Brunson, the 2026 NBA Finals MVP with the Knicks, hosted SNL last night, delivering a five-minute monologue and multiple comedy sketches featuring a fake Stephen A. Smith and the real remaining starting five of the defending champions, among others.
“Tonight I’m going to approach this like I approached the NBA Finals. So the first three quarters of the show are going to be god-awful. But the last sketch is going to be amazing,” Brunson said as he opened his monologue.
“The new season is just a couple of weeks away, and I’ve gotta say it’s going to be pretty cool to be back at Madison Square Garden. Looking around like, ‘Wow, just a few weeks ago this was the exact spot where Taylor and Travis got married,’” he further added.
The rest of the monologue revolved around an apology from Kenan Thompson, playing Stephen A. Smith, followed by a question-and-answer round with his teammates.
OG Anunoby: “Remember in Game 4 when you took that shot in the end and you missed it?”
Jalen Brunson: “Yeah”
OG: “Remember what happened after?”
Jalen: “Yeah. You tipped it in”
OG: “Oh yeah. That was awesome”
🤣🤣🤣. (h/t @NBA_NewYork) pic.twitter.com/HeBqVIUkGA
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) September 27, 2026
This sequence went viral on social media because their questions referenced hilarious moments from the Knicks’ championship run and NBA Cup win, including Josh Hart shoving a thumb into Jalen Brunson’s behind during celebrations and then missing a wide-open layup in Game 4 of the NBA Finals.
Most fans found the rest of the Knicks typically hilarious, but a significant portion also had issues with the show’s scriptwriting. Moreover, some felt Jalen Brunson seemed nervous, while teammates like Karl-Anthony Towns and OG Anunoby came across as more natural with their dialogue delivery.
“Jalen Brunson is god-awful at acting, lord.”
“Jalen Brunson was one of the worst SNL hosts I have ever seen. The deadpan thing just doesn’t carry a whole episode.”
“I heard SNL had fallen off, but holy s–t, is this cringe. These are the best jokes SNL writers could come up with?”
“Can we be honest 🥴 ? They must have cards that say laugh or applaud because, man, this wasn’t funny at all.”
“The Knicks really ain’t got no motion; nobody outside of the Knicks fans cares about this s–t.”
“Do people actually watch SNL still? That made me want to crawl out of my skin.”
“SNL used to be great, man. Jesus Christ.”
For Knicks fans, Jalen Brunson’s SNL debut was unforgettable, but many viewers weren’t impressed. Fans questioned whether the NBA star was suited for the comedy stage because of Brunson’s delivery and the show’s writing, while his teammates received good recognition for their appearances.
Do you think Jalen Brunson was not a good SNL host? Let us know what you think in the comments section.