Musing On SNL's "Domingo"

By Norah Schramm
News Editor

The hit Saturday Night Live (SNL)  sketch “Domingo” should be a cult classic like “The Californians.” Last season on SNL, during the SNL 50th, the show featured a three-sketch series commonly known as “Domingo.” Domingo, played by comedian Marcello Hernandez, was an instant hit. This season, there has been a return to this sketch through a Cold Open on October 18, 2025. Like “The Californians,” “Domingo” has a pretty consistent storyline: replace the highway system discussions with Kelcey constantly cheating on her husband, Matthew, played by Andrew Dismukes, with Domingo. Instead of the outlandish California accent, replace it with “song” and “dance” by bridesmaids instead. With the growing political far-right and the pressure to return to traditional family values, SNL is providing a social commentary on what the right way to live actually is. Or at least, I think so.

Part of the joy of “Domingo” as a sketch is that it is completely absurd. The musical guests, featuring the likes of Ariana Grande and Charlie XCX, sing completely off-key or pitch with reckless abandon, and the hilarity that follows is incredible. Sabrina Carpenter has made two appearances as the main singer for this sketch. During her first appearance, she plays Sophie, who was supposedly “in prison” for the Wedding but had finally gotten out of prison for the Vow Renewal.  But there is more depth yet to come.

“The Californians” have made their permanent mark in late-night SNL sketches, even given their own Volkswagen bus advertisement for the SNL 50th. However, the times are changing, and while “The Californians” demand our respect and adoration, a new generation of viewers has joined the throngs of historical sketches. The new generation of viewers has come with different generational challenges, and those have surrounded new music and the hit new singles. We have seen some pretty awful wedding vows from people who should not be getting married based solely on their opinions about their partner that were projected onto the internet. These are a callback to the wedding trend where bridesmaids and groomsmen alike have made up songs to a common popular hit of the time. This is additionally impactful when the original “Domingo” sketch was a bridesmaid's speech song covering the events of their bachelorette. 

“They say what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas… but we didn’t go to Vegas, we went to Miami!” An iconically bad cover of Espresso by Sabrina Carpenter, led by the musical guest Ariana Grande. Kelcey meets Domingo, she falls for him even though she is getting married to Matthew. Cut to: a few months later, they are married, and Kelcey is going on a Babymoon with her girlsquad. It is revealed that there will be twins, one belonging to Domingo and the other belonging to Matthew. The third Domingo sketch is where it really starts to go haywire. Domingo is met by his two brothers, Ronnaldo and Santiago. Ronaldo sleeps with Matthew on his guy trip, and it is revealed that Santiago sleeps with Kelcey’s parents on a somewhat regular basis. The final (for now) instalment in this story belongs to a Cold Open for Matthew’s birthday. Guess who shows up? You guessed it, Domingo!

The political narrative of our time has been a push for “traditional family values,” going so far as to potentially have another ruling on Obergefell v. Hodges (The Supreme Court is deciding to see another case about same sex marriage on November 7th, 2025). Why does that matter? It matters because not every family looks the same, nor should every family be the same. Traditional family values do not equal a happy family. A happy family is arguably the best kind of family– regardless of the gender of the parents. 

SNL is pointing out that what makes something seem like the right thing to do might make us the most unhappy. Kelcey promises to “try monogamy” at their Vow Renewal, and it seems pretty clear that she is unhappy in her marriage but might be bound by societal pressure to continue to stay with Matthew. Matthew additionally does not seem to be happy. He is unhappy that Kelcey continues to cheat on him with someone else. Matthew becomes a doormat to Kelcey, a doormat sketch character who does not stick up for himself. On top of all of that, there might be some repressed feelings of desire that are only discovered through sleeping with Ronaldo. Matthew should be allowed to explore outside of his downward spiraling marriage.

The whole series of sketches begs the question: Does marriage make someone happy?  For some, it absolutely can and does, but for others, it might be more of a checklist item than one made about the love of another human being. If Kelcey were truly happy with Matthew, it would seem likely that she would not opt to go and have a relationship with another person behind the back of her husband or fiancé. SNL has crafted a masterful dissection of traditional marriage through the repeated actions of Kelcey and Matthew. Their refusal to put the two of them in couples counseling or a divorce court is a cognitive choice that demands a further dive into why Kelcey and Mattew continue to stay married. I would argue that they are still married because they are scared of what their identities would be if they separated or divorced, irrespective of their potentially exponentially more wonderful, yet separated, happiness. 
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