Saturday Night Live replaces Eminem with Santa in a "Stan" parody video. Starring Pete Davidson as a Christmas enthusiast with an axe to grind, "Stu" stays true to Slim Shady's 2000 song about an obsessed fan who makes a fateful decision. The sketch originally aired during Saturday Night Live season 46, episode 7, hosted by Jason Bateman.
In October 2000, Eminem released "Stan" as the third single from his acclaimed third album The Marshall Mathers LP, with English singer Dido providing supporting vocals. Lyrically, the track covers the consequences of fame and how some Eminem fans failed to separate fantasy from reality in the artist's music. In the "Stan" music video, Devon Sawa stars in the titular role as a disturbed individual who imitates Eminem's look and relates to his lyrics. When the musician doesn't respond, Stan records an angry message while erratically driving in a vehicle with his girlfriend in the trunk. The "Stan" music video ends with Eminem responding to the letters and subsequently realizing that he heard about Stan's death on the news.
The Saturday Night Live "Stu" video retains the "Stan" premise, albeit with Santa replacing Eminem. The sketch begins with a colorful holiday interlude, as Santa and three elves discuss incoming letters, including one that is labeled as "weird." Davidson's character walks to his basement as the "Stan" beat kicks in. Stu then sits before a Santa obsession wall and writes to his pseudo North Pole friend about a Christmas list, which includes a PlayStation 5. In the second verse, Davidson captures the passive-aggressive nature of the original lyrics, all the while making Santa jokes and referencing Eminem's rhymes. By the third verse, Stu's tone becomes even more aggressive as he speaks disparaging words about Santa and his helpers, while once again using some clever wordplay as an homage to "Stan."
The Saturday Night Live "Stu" video deviates from "Stan" through a sequence featuring cast member Bowen Yang as Elton John. Davidson's character breaks the fourth wall after the third verse and introduces the guest artist, which is a direct reference to Eminem's live performance of "Stan" at the 2001 Grammy Awards. After receiving public backlash for homophobic lyrics, the rapper invited Elton John to perform Dido's lyrics as a sign of good faith. In "Stu," Bowen Yang provides an exaggerated performance as his iconic subject, with the lyrical joke being that Elton John is a big Santa Claus fan and also wants a PS5 for Christmas.
Saturday Night Live incorporates a special cameo in the "Stu" video. During the final sequence, Santa responds to nasty letters from Davidson's character, just as Eminem responds to Sawa's character in "Stan." He keeps his message short and sweet, stating, "Dear Stu, I think you got the wrong address, bro. I'm not Santa Claus. Bye-bye." Back at Stu's obsession wall, none other than Eminem appears on a television, dressed is a snazzy holiday sweater, and reveals that he received a PS5 from Santa. "I guess Shady must've been a good boy this year," he says, followed by "Sorry, Stu... you f**ked up."
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