The record-breaking animated film ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ staged a surprise performance on ‘Saturday Night Live’ this weekend, confirming its status as the biggest pop culture phenomenon of the year. The Season 51 premiere of SNL, hosted by Bad Bunny, featured a skit that brought the fictional K-pop world to life.
The sketch, titled “KPop Demon Hunters,” featured Bad Bunny as “Thomas,” a character obsessed with the Netflix film. While Thomas’s friends (played by Mikey Day, Sarah Sherman, and Chloe Fineman) discussed serious topics and films, Thomas insisted on talking about ‘KPop Demon Hunters.’
Read More: ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Director Maggie Kang Named TIME100 Next Honoree
Thomas firmly believed the movie was “not just a movie but tells a true story, with the songs of the fictional K-pop girl group Huntr/x as weapons.”
His obsession proved warranted when Bowen Yang appeared, dressed as the demon Jinu from the movie, and demanded the friends’ souls. Amid the horror, Thomas used his knowledge of the franchise to summon help.
‘Golden’ Saves the Day
The surprise came when EJAE, Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami — the real-life singers of the animated HUNTR/X trio — appeared on stage in full popstar glam to perform a portion of the film’s biggest hit, “Golden.” The song was used in the skit to fend off the demon.
This marks the first time the trio performed “Golden” live as a unit. It precedes their first announced televised appearance on ‘The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon’ on Tuesday, October 7, where they are expected to perform the song in full.
Read More: Bowen Yang Makes Emmy History as Most-Nominated Asian Male Performer
The hit Netflix film continues to shatter records, with more than 325.1 million views to date, proving its colossal impact on pop culture, which SNL loves to skewer and celebrate. Following the appearance, EJAE, who is also a key songwriter for the film, announced her debut solo single, “In Another World,” set for release on October 24. She commented on the sudden fame, saying, “People keep referring to me as an ‘artist’ or a ‘star’ — which is everything 11-year-old EJAE dreamed of, but over the years, I became comfortable behind the scenes and I didn’t think I was meant to be an artist. Writing this song helped me through a hard time, and I hope that sharing it can help others too.”
