SNL Recap: Kristen Wiig's Lana Del Rey Addresses Backlash (Video)

NBC

Saturday Night Live returned after a three-week break, and gave Channing Tatum the opportunity to show off some moves from his former life. In real life the actor worked as a stripper for a year when he was 19.

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During his opening monologue, the audience was apparently full of former Tatum patrons, so he naturally began to strip.

One former patron, played by Fred Armisen, got so excited he had a heart attack and “died happy” a doctor in the audience proclaimed.

STORY: Lana Del Rey Talks 'SNL' Performance: 'There's Backlash About Everything I Do'

While Tatum was a good enough host, it was the musical performance by Bon Iver and Kristen Wiig’s portrayal of Lana Del Rey that were the night's standout moments. Saturday’s episode was the first since Del Rey’s much-maligned appearance as SNL musical guest, a point punctuated by Bon Iver’s solid performance early in the program.
 
“Bon Iver and Radiohead are the only two bands that have ever sounded great on Saturday Night Live,” tweeted @ECSteeleTX, a viewer from Dallas.
 
SNL questioned the backlash to Del Rey’s performance when Kristen Wiig as Del Rey showed up during Weekend Update.
 
“Based on the public’s response I must have clubbed a baby seal while singing the Taliban national anthem,” Del Rey said.

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While the segment portrayed the negative response as overblown, it also acknowledged some of the criticism might have been merited. Seth Meyers asked Del Rey why people had such a negative reaction. She guessed it was because she came off as stiff, distant, and weird.
 
“But there’s a very good explanation for that,” Del Rey said. “I’m stiff, distant, and weird.”

SNL is new next week, with host Zooey Deschanel and musical guest Karmin.