Yahoo Lifestyle After Backlash Over How She Was Objectified, Bowen Yang Said Sydney Sweeney Begged “Saturday Night Live” Writers To Include Jokes About Her “Boobs”
When Sydney Sweeney hosted Saturday Night Live in March this year, you may remember there was a ton of backlash surrounding all the jokes about her appearance.
From the pre-show promos — in which Sydney joked about her “weirdly” large male fanbase — to the night’s skits — where the Euphoria star played parts like a Hooters server and a lusting cheerleader — it certainly didn't go unnoticed by viewers that a lot of the material hinged on her attractiveness.
The same could be said for Sydney’s opening monologue, in which she talked about being seen simply “as the girl on TV who screams, cries, and has sex” and joked that her backup plan to make it big in Hollywood was to “Show Boobs.”
So, because Sydney had previously talked about the pain of being constantly sexualized, many fans felt that SNL’s writers had done her a disservice by centering so much of the material around her looks.
“Challenge for SNL writers: have Sydney tell jokes that aren’t just about her being hot, and speak to her other qualities as an actor and person,” one person wrote on X at the time.
Highlighting her past comments, another user wrote: “I remember her saying how icky it was for her growing up with big boobs and being sexualized for it and yet people still continue to sexualize her like no tomorrow.”
After the episode aired, Vanity Fair published an article titled, “Saturday Night Live Did Sydney Sweeney Dirty.” At the same time, the Daily Beast called out the show’s “lazy habit of objectifying” its hosts — highlighting that Jacob Elordi’s hosting debut earlier that season included just as many jokes about his looks.
And now, SNL cast member Bowen Yang has responded to the backlash, recalling that Sydney was totally on board with the body-related humor and had been the one to encourage the jokes from the start.
“She came in and was like, ‘Please, everyone, make jokes about my boobs,’” he revealed on this week’s episode of the Fly on the Wall podcast. “She was practically begging everybody.”
Bowen — who appeared alongside Sydney in the controversial Hooters sketch — praised her approach, saying she was “an example of a host who came in and understood how she was being consumed and perceived already.”
Notably, this echoed what Sydney previously said about the SNL backlash, telling GQ that it was a deliberate choice to play into the public’s perception of her.
“There’s so many people out there who are like, ‘Oh, she’s famous because she showed her boobs,’” she said, referring to the joke in her opening monologue.
“You just learn the system,” she continued, discussing people’s assumptions about her. “You can try and fight it but they just fight back. Even if you stand up for yourself, people are going to attack you for standing up for yourself.”
You can listen to Bowen on the Fly on the Wall podcast here.
A Joke About Sydney Sweeney’s Appearance In A “Saturday Night Live” Clip Has Sparked Backlash After She Previously Talked About The “Ridiculous” Way She’s Been SexualizedEllen Durney · March 1, 2024
Sydney Sweeney Hit Back At People Who Diminish Her Acting Skills Because Of Her Physical FeaturesLeyla Mohammed · March 20, 2023
Jacob Elordi Made His SNL Debut This Weekend And It Felt We Were Watching Year 10 Drama ClassAngeline Barion · Jan. 22, 2024
