Marcello Hernandez Says His Mom Inspired ‘SNL’ Sketch With Pedro Pascal, Bad Bunny
“Saturday Night Live” comedian Marcello Hernandez, 26, appeared on “Late Night With Seth Myers” to talk about his mother being his “muse,” working with Pedro Pascal, and starting out as a college athlete. Hernandez’s appearance on the talk show was a wild ride, so strap in for some hilarious bumps along the road.
Since Hernandez’s “SNL” debut back in 2022, the long-running comedy series became even funnier. The Cuban-Dominican comedian, who grew up in Miami, Florida, started out doing stand-up comedy while hosting the very-Miami Instagram account @onlyindade. Before his 2022 debut, Hernandez also regularly posted funny clips on his own IG account, including this treasure:
Do all of us Latinos suddenly use an accent when nervous at the grocery store or airport? Why do this happen? What is the science behind this?
In any case, Hernandez joined the “SNL” cast back in September 2022, giving us sketches about his Latinidad that still have us rolling on the floor. For one, take one of his first skits on the show, where he talks about the differences between Latino and caucasian baseball players:
“Latinos dominate baseball. And I’m not saying we’re naturally better, I’m just saying we’re more fun to watch,” Hernandez hilariously notes. “I mean, who would you rather watch play baseball? Tanner from Kentucky? Or a guy that they call ‘Papi’ and no one knows why?” LOL.
Well, Hernandez’s appearance on Seth Myers’ show proved to be just as hilarious as his “SNL” skits— while also making us shed a few tears. Here’s everything to know about the funny, heartwarming interview we can’t stop replaying.
Hernandez said on “Late Night With Seth Myers” that his mom inspires his hilarious skits
The 26-year-old comedian’s interview with Seth Myers started off interestingly enough, bringing the host a corsage and a bottle of wine “with no glasses or corkscrew.” Hernandez also wore a tuxedo for the interview, and we’re obsessed with the whole prom-themed schtick:
Later, Hernandez described how pumped and grateful he is to star in the iconic “Saturday Night Live.” Getting real for a second, he explained: “I used to sell tickets on the street in New York, so there’s nothing to not be happy about. There’s no reason for me not to be having the time of my life.”
Moments later, Myers pointed out Hernandez’s mother waving from the audience. The Cuban-Dominican comedian then took the opportunity to thank his mom in a mix of English and Spanish. Hernandez turned to his mom and said, “I am so grateful for you and everything that you sacrificed for me in my life. And everything I do, including this, is always for you.”
He added, “Te amo, mamá, with all my heart. I love you with everything I have.”
Speaking of his mom, Hernandez revealed that his now iconic “SNL” sketch with Pedro Pascal, “Protective Mom,” was inspired by her. In the skit, Hernandez and his girlfriend visit his mom — perfectly played by Pascal — and tons of antics ensue.
For example, Pascal wears a very-accurate pink knit cardigan and a long sweater, lovingly hugging her son while also hitting him with a chancleta. In the skit, “I love you” and “I kill you” are often in the same sentence. Later, Pascal tells Hernandez’s girlfriend in the sketch, who is white, that she is not into her “vegan sliders” or “Baroque architecture” degree:
Hernandez told Myers in his interview that his own mother inspired much of the skit’s dialogue. “One of the pieces of the sketch is that my mother doesn’t believe in ADD,” he explained. “So one of the lines is, ‘My son don’t have ADD, he just like to jump.'” We‘re dying at the accuracy.
“That kind of sounds like her,” Hernandez laughed.
He also remembered how the idea for “Protective Mom” came about— which later led to the recent “Protective Mom 2,” featuring Bad Bunny.
“[Pascal] came to the show and he kind of had this idea of wanting to do something in Spanish, and he wanted to be my mother,” the comedian recalled. “I was lucky enough to be the only person on the show who could write in Spanish.”
Later in his interview with Myers, Hernandez described another memory with his mom as a gift that just keeps giving.
“A lot of my [‘SNL’] audition material was about my mom,” he revealed. “About how she escaped communism, and I would be like, ‘Mom I had a bad day at school.'”
“She would be like ‘Oh yeah?'” Hernandez remembered, narrowing his eyes to imitate his mom’s disapproval. “At the place with the free food?”
During the interview, Hernandez also described attending John Carroll University in University Heights, Ohio. His favorite college class? Spanish, of course. “I wanted to feel smart in school,” he laughed.
“The teachers in the Spanish classes in the Midwest, they have American names,” Hernandez remembered. “Just like a name that you knew, immediately, I [was like], ‘I’m better [at Spanish] than this person.'”
Hernandez also said that once he spoke Spanish in front of the class, his teacher told his peers, “Did you guys hear that? That is your new teacher.”
And yes, it seems like he might have taken inspiration from that experience for his “Spanish Class” skit with Ana de Armas:
A budding “legend” indeed:
