Credit Where Credit’s Due: Kam Patterson Was Great on ‘SNL’
There has been plenty of criticism and curiosity about Lorne Michaels’ decision to cast Kill Tony comedian Kam Patterson on SNL. Plenty of it came right here from Cracked, as we chronicled his request for time off, his use of slurs and the larger question of if this new cast popular on social media could translate their skills to sketch comedy that airs at 11:30 p.m. on Saturday nights.
So, given our doubts, it’s important that we give a fair assessment of Patterson’s first showing on the Season 51 premiere of Saturday Night Live. And our verdict: It had moments of real cleverness, and presented a comedian who is charming and quick.
Colin Jost introduced Patterson to discuss the conviction and sentencing of Sean “Diddy” Combs. Patterson quickly moved past the topic, however, saying, “Listen, man, I think Diddy is weird, but I actually have something more pressing to talk about.”
Don't Miss
Then, in a bit poking fun at the online chatter about his comedy performances, Pattern started in. “Bro, I’ve been here for like 45 minutes now. When are y’all going to let me say the N word?”
“You want to say the N word?” Jost replied.
“You mean a word I say in my act 150 times before my second joke? Yes,” Patterson said. “When are y’all going to let me loose? I feel like I’m shackled to this desk, man.”
“Don’t put it like that,” Jost responded. “You can’t say the N word on this show. You get fined.”
“That’s fine. I’ll pay it,” Patterson parried back.
“It’s like half a million dollars.”
“That’s fine. You’ll pay it,” Patterson joked.
“I’m not paying half a million dollars,” Jost quipped back.
“Colin, I’m a stand-up comedian from Florida. Saying that word is what I do. Come on, bro. This is exactly what Jimmy Kimmel fought for,” Patterson pleaded.
This back-and-forth continued for a bit, tackling the comedian’s persona head on with an audacious charm offensive. “You should have seen the stuff they wrote about me online, which I did read because I read well and I’m reading right now!” Patterson declared at one point.
Patterson wrapped up his appearance with the strongest joke of the bit. “I actually have a lot of characters I’m excited to play,” he said, before listing out “the guy that played Kramer, Paula Dean and the ghost of Hulk Hogan.”
It didn’t totally flip the script on what we expected from Patterson, but it did show he’s got the energy to be on the show and is being given screen time to prove himself. Maybe not a clean slate for everything he’s already said and done, but a good start for a 26-year-old who has plenty of career left in front of him.
