Teyana Taylor is officially in her Waiting to Exhale era—at least for this week—as she brings one of Black cinema’s most unforgettable moments to Saturday Night Live ahead of her guest-hosting debut.
Fresh off a major awards-season run, Teyana Taylor takes center stage in a newly released Saturday Night Live promo that playfully channels Bernadine Harris, the iconic character famously portrayed by Angela Bassett in the 1995 classic Waiting to Exhale. The homage lands as both a wink to cultural memory and a reminder that Taylor knows exactly how to meet the moment.
In the promo, Taylor appears opposite SNL cast member Ashley Padilla, who vents about fellow castmate Andrew Dismukes “accidentally” eating her eggplant parm. What starts as a petty workplace grievance quickly escalates into something far more dramatic once Taylor decides they need to pay Dismukes a visit. Cut to his dressing room, where Taylor emerges fully transformed—costume, attitude, and all—into a Bernadine-inspired force of nature.
The scene leans into the spirit of Bassett’s original performance without recreating it beat for beat. Instead of a burning car, the chaos unfolds inside the dressing room, with Taylor unleashing controlled fury as Padilla struggles to keep up. When Dismukes finally returns to witness the aftermath and asks if this is really about the missing parm, Taylor delivers the unmistakable punchline: “Get your (bleep) and get out!” It’s exaggerated, funny, and instantly recognizable to anyone who knows the source material.
The promo arrives at a pivotal moment in Taylor’s career. Earlier this month, she picked up a Golden Globe win for her performance as Perfidia Beverly Hills in One Battle After Another, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. The role has firmly positioned her in the awards conversation and marked a major turning point in her evolution as an actress—one that has been building steadily over the past few years.
Rather than playing it safe, Taylor’s SNL promo leans into that momentum. Referencing Waiting to Exhale isn’t just nostalgia for nostalgia’s sake; it’s a deliberate nod to a film—and a performance—that still resonates deeply across generations. Bassett’s Bernadine became a cultural touchstone not simply because of spectacle, but because of the emotional clarity behind it. Taylor’s take understands that legacy and flips it into comedy without undercutting the power of the reference.
This week’s episode marks Taylor’s first time hosting the long-running sketch series. She previously appeared on the SNL stage during Kanye West’s 2018 musical performance, but this outing places her squarely at the center of the night. She’ll be joined by indie rock band Geese as the musical guest.
Beyond SNL, Taylor continues to stack a busy slate. In addition to her awards-season run for One Battle After Another, she also co-stars opposite Matt Damon and Ben Affleck in The Rip, further cementing her presence in high-profile studio projects.
For now, though, all eyes are on Studio 8H. With one promo, Taylor managed to blend comedy, cultural reverence, and impeccable timing—setting the tone for what could be one of the season’s most talked-about hosting turns.