Third time is the charm…?
In the wake of Marcello Hernández reprising his impression of the stand-up comic, Sebastian Maniscalco has reiterated his interest in actually appearing on NBC’s Saturday Night Live himself.
Hernández debuted his Maniscalco impression back in November, in the episode hosted by Glen Powell. That sketch presented Maniscalco as a friend of a groom-to-be played by Powell, bringing his larger-than-life stage persona to a stag party.
In this weekend’s episode hosted by Harry Styles, the sketch “Sebastian Maniscalco: New Lawyer” (pretty randomly) posited that the stand-up comic has a law degree, and had been assigned as the public defender for an accused thief (Tommy Brennan). When Maniscalco’s unique oration style appeared to win over the court, the prosecutor (played by Styles) attempted to affect same, with decent results.
The real Maniscalco caught that encore, and now more than ever wants in on the joke.
“I’ve been on SNL twice now, which sounds impressive until I tell you neither time was as the host,” he shared on X Sunday.
“At this point, Harry and Marcello have logged more rehearsal time as me than I have,” he added. “Both of them were hilarious and absolutely nailed it. Maybe the third time I come in and do it myself.”
Back in November after Hernández debuted his impression, Maniscalco said on Good Morning America, “They asked me to be a part of that [but] couldn’t because I was doing a show in Palm Springs.” (At the time, Maniscalco was wrapping up his “It Ain’t Right” tour ahead of a Hulu special release.)
“I’d like to host SNL, if people are out there listening,” he added, turning to the camera. “I’d like to do SNL, if Lorne [Michael]’s watching.”
All told, Maniscalco has given Hernández’s impression a thumbs-up. “Listen, it’s very flattering that he did that,” he told GMA. “I thought he did a great job. Obviously, you know, it was really over the top, which made it funnier.”
In actuality, the latest SNL marked Hernández’s third time mimicking Maniscalco on live TV. At January’s Critics Choice Awards, he treated fans to an encore of the impression—while presenting an award with the stand-up comic.
Marcello Hernández and Sebastian Maniscalco share their "ready to lose" face at the #CriticsChoiceAwards. pic.twitter.com/Lmx0olJ3l8
— Rotten Tomatoes 🍅 (@RottenTomatoes) January 5, 2026
Sebastian also took Second City classes, so he’d probably fit in as host easier than a lot of other comedians.
I’d love to see him host the show in the future. SNL bookers, make it happen!