Taylor Swift was “immediately” down to participate in what became one of Saturday Night Live’s most memorable sketches of season 47.
SNL writers Ben Marshall, John Higgins and Martin Herlihy — who make up the comedy group Please Don’t Destroy — shared how their collaboration with Swift, 33, came to be during their Monday, November 6, appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
The musical parody “Three Sad Virgins” — which aired during a November 2021 episode of the NBC comedy series — starred the Please Don’t Destroy trio as themselves opposite SNL alum Pete Davidson. At the start of the sketch, Davidson, 29, asks the three comedians if they want to shoot a music video with him. They excitedly agree, only to discover that the song lyrics are at their expense, labeling them “three sad virgins.”
Fans were delighted by Swift’s surprise cameo in the video, in which she performs the bridge.
“We didn’t think that she would do it,” Higgins, 27, told Jimmy Fallon on Monday. “We pitched it to her and we were like, ‘It’s called ‘Three Sad Virgins,’ it’s you and Pete making fun of us.’ And she was immediately like, ‘Yes.’”
He added, “Now every time we’re on the street it’s like, ‘Hey, sad virgin!’”
It’s not surprising that Swift was on board with the sketch idea given her lengthy history with SNL over the years. During a recent interview on Howard Stern’s SiriusXM radio show, late-night host and SNL alum Seth Meyers spoke highly of the singer’s 2009 hosting debut, saying that her original monologue song “really speaks to what a force of nature she is and the depths of her talent.”
Meyers recalled Swift pitching her monologue to him and SNL producer Lorne Michaels. “She sings this song which is not only a beautiful song by a beautiful singer,” he said. “It’s a perfect SNL monologue, fully formed. And it was, to this day, I’ve sort of never had a moment like that where someone brings you a fully gift-wrapped present and it’s exactly what you needed it to be.”
Swift has since graced the SNL stage several more times, both in sketch cameos and as the musical guest. In October, she and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce made separate surprise appearances during the season 49 premiere amid their budding romance. Swift introduced her friend (and “Karma” collaborator) Ice Spice’s musical performance, while Kelce acted in a sketch inspired by the NFL frenzy surrounding his relationship with Swift.
After the show, the couple were spotted holding hands on a date night in New York City. The pair, who have been linked since September, are “really happy” together, a source exclusively told Us Weekly last month.
“Travis is someone who is so different for [Taylor],” the insider added. “With him it’s easy. She doesn’t have to worry about anything.”
