A sketch that never made it to air is getting more attention than some that did. A Saturday Night Live digital short starring Ashley Padilla has spread widely online after being cut from the season 51 finale, which was hosted by Will Ferrell with Paul McCartney as musical guest.
The sketch, titled "Making Amends," was written and directed by SNL writer Martin Herlihy. According to The Wrap, it follows a new father, played by Jeremy Culhane, who visits his estranged, hospitalized dad, played by James Austin Johnson, in an attempt to reconnect. The emotional scene is repeatedly interrupted by a loud TLC-style bar makeover program playing in the background, titled "Bar Savior."
Herlihy plays the host of the fictional show, and Padilla plays the bar's embattled manager. The two spend much of the sketch in an escalating shouting match. Herlihy's character tears into the bar for issues including an undersized amount of cheese on a burger and a mural depicting the Avatar character Jake Sully on a Hawaiian vacation. At one point, the confrontation turns physical, with Padilla being replaced by a ragdoll for the stunt.
"This bar sucks! It sucks!" Herlihy opens.
"Suck my d–k!" Padilla responds.
Later, Herlihy's character shouts, "Stop saying bad words on my show!"
Herlihy was previously a cast member at SNL as part of the trio Please Don't Destroy, which left after the show's 50th season. He stayed on as a writer. His fellow trio member Ben Marshall was elevated to featured player status, while John Higgins departed the show entirely.
"Making Amends" was not the only sketch cut from the finale to find an audience online. SNL separately uploaded a sketch called "Juicy Toobins" featuring Ferrell as a security guard yelling at children excited to meet a set of mascots. That sketch gained traction after Ferrell was seen breaking character and laughing in front of the kids.
The 51st season of Saturday Night Live has now concluded.
