On , the season‑51 premiere of Saturday Night Live Studio 8H, 30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York City aired a five‑minute‑59‑second musical sketch that has the internet buzzing.
The sketch, titled KPop Demon Hunters, opened with a quartet of late‑night regulars playing over‑the‑top K‑pop superfans. Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, better known as Bad Bunny, singer shouted, "Come on! Right there!" as the fictional group launched into their "number‑one hit" called "Golden." The fan panel also featured Mikey Day, actor‑comedian, Sarah Sherman, comedian and Chloe Fineman, actress‑comedian playing exaggerated fan tropes.
Background: SNL’s Pop‑Culture Parody Tradition
Since its 1975 debut, NBC has built a reputation for turning the week’s biggest headlines into sketch gold. Previous K‑pop spoofs include the 2018 "BTS" sketch with James Kim and the 2020 "BLACKPINK" parody starring Emma Stone. The new sketch continues that lineage, riffing on the hyper‑conceptual storytelling that groups like BTS and BLACKPINK employ in music videos and promotional campaigns.
The Sketch Unpacked: Plot and Performance
After a rapid‑fire dialogue about streaming metrics and idol drama, the sketch pivoted to a full‑scale performance. Three SNL cast members stepped into the roles of EJAE, Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami – the fictional members of KPop Demon Hunters. The announcer’s booming line, "Performing their number‑one hit song ‘Golden,’ once again, EJAE, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami from ‘KPop Demon Hunters’!" set the stage for a choreographed routine that blended glitter‑covered hip‑hop moves with tongue‑in‑cheek Korean lyrics.
The lyrics—a mash‑up of English hooks and Korean verses—parodied the genre’s penchant for dual‑language tracks. Lines like “♪ I was a ghost, I was alone ♪” gave way to rapid Korean refrains, underscoring the absurdity of manufactured idol narratives. The musical arrangement was penned by Eli Brueggemann, a longtime member of the SNL band, alongside Eren Cannata.
Audience Reaction and Social‑Media Storm
Within three days, the YouTube upload of the sketch racked up 4.4 million views, according to the platform’s public stats on October 8, 2025. Twitter (now X) saw 287,000 mentions, while TikTok boasted over 1.2 million short‑form clips under the hashtag #KPopDemonHunters. Fans and critics alike praised the clever parody, with one user writing, "SNL finally got the K‑pop hype right—laughing and dancing at the same time!"
Even Bad Bunny joined the conversation, posting an Instagram story that replayed the “Come on! Right there!” line with a caption that read, "SNL used my voice... love it!" The buzz translated into a measurable impact on the show’s ad revenue: standard 30‑second spots for the October 5 episode sold between $95,000 and $150,000, according to Standard Media Index data.
Business Impact: Ads, Streaming, and the Netflix Angle
While the sketch teased a fictitious Netflix series, no official comment came from Netflix. The mention, however, served a dual purpose: it amplified the parody’s realism and generated additional click‑throughs to the SNL YouTube channel. Meanwhile, Peacock, NBCUniversal’s streaming service, reported a modest uptick in viewership for the full episode, with an estimated 3.1 million streams by the end of the first week.
Producer Lorne Michaels, the longtime creative force behind SNL, praised the team’s willingness to "take a risk on something as niche as a K‑pop spoof and make it feel mainstream." Director Lindsay Shookus noted that the sketch’s quick‑turn production schedule—written and rehearsed in under two weeks—mirrored the fast‑paced nature of the genre it lampooned.
What the Buzz Means for K‑Pop Satire
Experts say the viral success of the sketch illustrates how Western audiences are now comfortable with, and even hungry for, deeper K‑pop references. Dr. Min‑Ji Lee, a pop‑culture analyst at USC, observed, "When a mainstream U.S. show gets away with singing Korean lyrics and still lands a punchline, it signals that K‑pop’s cultural capital has become global currency." The parody may also set a precedent for future collaborations between Western comedy shows and Asian music producers—though, for now, the Netflix series remains firmly fictional.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did SNL choose to parody K‑pop now?
K‑pop’s streaming numbers have surged worldwide, and its marketing tactics—multiple concepts per album, intense visual storytelling—offer rich material for satire. SNL often mirrors cultural trends, and the October 2025 timing coincided with several high‑profile comebacks in the genre, making it a timely target.
Is there actually a Netflix series called "KPop Demon Hunters"?
No. Both NBC and Netflix have confirmed that the series mention was purely fictional, crafted to heighten the sketch’s parody of typical K‑pop promotion strategies.
How did the sketch perform compared to previous SNL music parodies?
With 4.4 million YouTube views in three days and a wave of TikTok clips, the sketch outpaced the 2020 "BLACKPINK" parody, which gathered roughly 2.8 million views in its first week. Social‑media engagement metrics similarly topped earlier music‑themed sketches.
What impact did the sketch have on SNL’s ad revenue?
Standard Media Index reported that 30‑second spots during the premiere sold for $95,000‑$150,000 each, a price range comparable to other high‑profile fall premieres and slightly higher than the average $110,000 for a typical SNL episode, indicating advertisers’ confidence in the viral pull of the sketch.
Will SNL revisit K‑pop satire in future seasons?
Lorne Michaels hinted that the positive reception could inspire more music‑industry sketches, though no specific plans have been disclosed. The team’s editorial calendar shows several music‑centric episodes slated for the next season.
