Ramy Youssef’s “Saturday Night Live” hosting debut arrived at an auspicious time.
As the New Jersey actor and comedian (”Poor Things,” “Ramy”) noted in his opening monologue, it was a convergence of sacred observances — “so many religions celebrating all at once.”
Ramadan, Easter ... Beyoncé’s latest album release.
In the monologue, Youssef, 33, demonstrated his talent for deftly weaving talk of everyday, mundane matters with heavy subjects.
He told a story about praying for his friend’s family in Gaza — and for his other friend’s dog, who is caught up in a custody battle between the man and his ex.
Youssef recalled his prayer:
“Please, free the people of Palestine, please, and please free the hostages, all the hostages, please,” he said — and “Mr. Bojangles.”
Fans of Youssef who have seen his recent HBO comedy special, “More Feelings” (which was filmed in Jersey City), likely recognized a fair amount of familiar material in the “SNL” monologue, including his bit about how “the South is 45 minutes away from wherever you are.”
As Youssef explained, he doesn’t believe in the South because sometimes the South is actually north.
The Egyptian American writer, actor, director and producer told the story of his trip to a stand-up show in upstate New York. When the comedian found himself in a MAGA-ed out vehicle, he didn’t feel comfortable answering in Arabic on a call with his mother.
Youssef, a Golden Globe winner for his North Jersey-set Hulu series “Ramy,” also told a short version of the Joe Biden story from his comedy special.
He recounted how the Biden campaign courted him ahead of the 2020 election, hoping that he would help deliver Arab American voters in Michigan.
Youssef, who grew up in Rutherford, reiterated that he doesn’t like any of the current choices for president. Hosting “SNL” on the eve of the Transgender Day of Visibility, he called for the election of a woman or transgender woman president.
Here’s a look at Youssef’s sketches from the show, from “Ozempic for Ramadan” to an NPR Tiny Desk Concert gone off the rails.
First, Youssef and Marcello Hernández are the immigrant dads who host the “Immigrant Dad Talk Show.”
They have a lot in common — they enjoy a good lawn chair, a pair of comfortable pants and complaining about their sons.
The next sketch takes the form of a commercial. Specifically, a festive, seasonal semaglutide.
In “Ozempic for Ramadan,” Youssef is the pitchman for the appetite-suppressing drug’s use during the month of daytime fasting.
“As long as I shoot up before the sun rises, it’s halal,” he says of the injection.
In “We Got Too High,” a musical sketch with the crew from Please Don’t Destroy, they go out on the town with Youssef and “SNL” musical guest Travis Scott.
Their main dilemma: they get way too high before the night has even started.
Youssef abstains from the weed, but has another problem — he mistakenly wore shorts to the club ... and brought a rolling backpack.
Come for the music, stay for the “napkin pants.”
Youssef is the lead singer of a band playing a Tiny Desk Concert at NPR in this sketch, which boasts the episode’s sole appearance from “SNL” favorite Bowen Yang.
Yang plays an NPR intern from “SUNY Newark” who asks the band to keep it down.
Naturally, this all somehow becomes his own podcast.
In “Team Captain,” Youssef is the captain of a high school basketball team tasked with delivering a motivating speech.
It’s no small task since the team coach, played by veteran cast member Kenan Thompson, recently sent very inappropriate cat-themed photos and video meant for his wife to the whole team.
Youssef and Ego Nwodim are husband and wife in this “Couple Goals” sketch.
Appearing together on a game show for couples, they seem to know each other well ... until he reveals some very dark thoughts on his answer cards.
And finally, Youssef plays a pun-dropping police detective investigating a pizza crime in “Murder Detective.”
Stories by Amy Kuperinsky
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Amy Kuperinsky may be reached at akuperinsky@njadvancemedia.com and followed at @AmyKup.