SNL star entertains sold-out crowd of TCU students

By Analise Wachtel, Staff Writer

Published Sep 9, 2024

Comedian Marcello Hernandez dancing on stage on Friday, Sept. 6, 2024. (Photo/ theEnd)

A star of NBC’s sketch-comedy show “Saturday Night Live” performed a stand-up routine to a packed house in the Brown-Lupton University Union on Friday night. Marcello Hernandez is a Cuban-Dominican stand up comedian, actor, and writer known for his appearances as a featured player on SNL. The performance was the first comedy night of the semester hosted by theEnd, an organization that provides weekend experiences on TCU’s campus. Tickets sold out the day they released. The line to get into the show covered the second and third floor of the Brown Lupton University Union, even going down the stairs. The first in line for the 9 p.m. show was senior English major Colleen Wyrick, who arrived at 4:30 p.m. Wyrick said she and her friends “do this for every show” theEnd hosts.

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Students, faculty and staff seemed anxious to see Hernandez, going silent in anticipation when the pre-show music ended. With his swift rhythm and energetic demeanor, Hernandez did not disappoint. “The show went very well and it’s always great to see students come out of a show smiling and laughing with each other,” said Kelly Lee, the director of student activities. The SNL star walked on stage donning a TCU jersey and asked the audience if they liked his outfit. “Horned frogs,” he said, poking fun at TCU’s pride in the critter. “That’s your mascot?” During the show, Hernandez told stories about growing up Latino and being raised by a Cuban immigrant.

Comedian Marcello Hernandez laughing on stage on Friday, Sep. 6, 2024. (Photo/theEnd)

He also catered many of his jokes to the women in the audience. “Women like men who are tall and men who listen,” he said, attributing his struggles within relationships to his height (5’7”, according to a viral bit on SNL) and his Attention Deficit Disorder. In order to compensate, he even admitted that “short guys have to kill the bugs.” He said the dirty job is only scary to him because, well, he’s not much taller than a bug — inducing a roar of applause from the crowd. “That was genuinely one of the funniest shows I’ve seen in a while,” said Addi Carothers, a junior psychology student. “I’ve seen clips of him on TikTok, and he’s even funnier in person.” Hernandez ended his show with a piece of advice, saying, “This too shall pass.” Neither the good moments nor the bad ones last forever, he said. “Don’t get too caught up in them.”