Sabrina Carpenter Joins Quinta Brunson

Sabrina Carpenter made a surprise cameo during Quinta Brunson‘s Saturday Night Live monologue, during which they performed a song all about honoring short people.

Brunson began her SNL monologue by noting its her second time hosting the beloved show, before making a joke about being “proof you can do anything you put your mind to even if people look down on you.”

“Whether it’s because of where you come from or literally because you’re only 4’11,” she joked. “Yeah, that’s right. I’m short… But I love being short, and I want other short people to know the sky’s the limit. So shorties, tonight, this one’s for us!”

The host then launched into a song about her height: “Being short is amazing, being short is just fine. I’m a cheap date cause I get wasted off of one glass of wine.”

Brunson went on to reference some of the most notorious “shorties,” including Simone Biles, Kendrick Lamar and Tom Holland, before the camera then panned over to reveal the Grammy winner, surprising Brunson, who asked, “Sabrina, what are you doing here?”

Carpenter replied, “I mean, you were talking about being short, so I thought I’d stop by.”

“Sabrina, can I ask you something one shorty to another?” the host asked the singer. “Anything,” she responded to which Brunson joked, “When you eat short rib does it taste just like rib?”

“I never thought about it like that, but yeah,” the “Espresso” singer responded, before Carpenter offered another height-related joke query: “Wait, here’s a question for you. When you read short stories, do they feel like novels?”

SNL cast member Marcello Hernandez then joined Brunson and Carpenter on stage, where he poked fun at their height. “I just thought I would come stand next to you because it makes me look super tall.”

“Come on, Marcello, you should be proud of being short,” Carpenter noted, before former NBA champion Dwyane Wade joined them on-stage. “Dwyane, sorry, what are you doing here?” Brunson asked, to which Wade responded, “Well, I was just in the audience watching SNL, and I heard your song about being short, and I felt seen.”

“But, you’re tall, you’re 6’4″,” Brunson pointed out. “Yeah, but I’m 6’4″, and in basketball world, it’s like 4’10″, Shaq’s like 7’1″, and I just really want to be in the song,” he responded. 

“Alright, I can’t say no to you, Dwyane Wade,” Brunson affirmed, and the “shorties” closed out the opening monologue.

Earlier in the night, SNL’s cold open poked fun at Donald Trump’s first 100 days in office — specifically joking about the president’s many executive orders.

“Well, it’s been 100 years since I became president. Excuse me, days, wow, feels longer, but people are saying that what I’ve done so far has single-handedly helped win people elections, mostly in Canada,” James Austin Johnson’s Trump joked. “Also I signed 147 executive orders, everything from banning paper straws to defunding PBS. I understand Elmo has now been apprehended by ICE, brought to you by the letter ‘L’ for El Salvador. He’s not coming back.”

Johnson’s Trump invited Stephen Miller (played by Mikey Day), the White House’s deputy chief of staff, to introduce the varying new executive orders. The duo even issued a “pardon” to J.K. Rowling.

“Jackie, Jackie Rowley,” he said. “We love Jackie. You know, she created a whole wizarding world, a wonderful place for overweight millennials to stake their entire identity well past the point of it being cute. I’m a Hufflepuff. No, bitch, you work at Staples.”

Earlier in the cold open, they touched on Bill Belichick’s controversial CBS Sunday Morning appearance where his girlfriend Jordon Hudson awkwardly interrupted his interview.

“Sir, this order will make it socially acceptable for a man in his 70s to date a 24-year old,” Day’s Miller said, to which Johnson’s Trump added, “That’s right, we’re calling it the Belichick Law.”

“We’re gonna make girlfriends young again, OK?” he added. “Old men can now date far younger women. We like that, it’s hot, but in reverse it’s quite disgusting, right? Very Dateline, you know.”

“Did you see Belichick’s girlfriend? She’s pretty hot, right?” the faux Trump asked. “Yes, she is a beautiful creature,” Day’s Miller added.

Brunson, the star and creator of Abbott Elementary, returned to host SNL for the second time alongside Benson Boone as the night’s musical guest. Saturday’s show notably marked the Grammy nominee’s first appearance on the show and Brunson’s first hosting gig since April 2023.

Brunson and Boone are two of the final hosts and musical guests for SNL‘s landmark 50th season. Next week, The White Lotus star Walton Goggins will host with musical guest Arcade Fire, with Scarlett Johansson and Bad Bunny closing out season 50 on May 17 as host and musical guest, respectively.