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Harry Styles delivered a standout moment on Saturday Night Live, drawing hearty laughter with a cheeky jab at past accusations of “queerbaiting” during his monologue. The surprise crescendo came with a kiss from SNL cast member Ben Marshall, leaving viewers both entertained and amused.
The 32-year-old star took on double duty as both host and musical guest for the March 14 episode of the NBC sketch comedy show. Styles treated the audience to performances of “Dance No More” and “Coming Up Roses,” tracks from his latest album, Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally.
However, it was his opening monologue that quickly stole the spotlight and became the evening’s highlight.
Styles reminisced about his previous hosting gig in 2019, humorously recalling the intense scrutiny over his fashion choices, which led to claims of “queerbaiting.” The term, as defined by the Oxford English Dictionary, refers to the strategy of appealing to LGBTQ audiences in a misleading or superficial way.
Addressing the audience with a grin, Styles quipped, “Back then, people seemed to pay a lot of attention to the clothes I was wearing, and some people accused me of something called ‘queerbaiting.’ But did it ever occur to you that … maybe you don’t know everything about me, Dad?”
“I ran it past him. He was fine with it,” Styles added.
The singer then joked about what he’s been up to since his last appearance on the show, describing himself as “tremendously boring.” According to Styles, his recent hobbies include “jogging,” settling into life in “a small, old Italian village,” and working on new music.
That led into a bit about his latest album, Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally., which he said was inspired by a surprisingly modern source.
“Some people have asked me, ‘Where I got that title from?’ …I did a prompt on Chat GPT that said, ‘Give me the most Italian phrase that ever exists.’ And it came back with…,” Styles said before shouting the album title in an exaggerated Italian accent, drawing laughs from the audience.
“And I loved it because what’s better than kissing all the time?” he added.
That line prompted SNL cast member Chloe Fineman to appear behind him onstage, eagerly waiting for a kiss.
“Which I don’t actually do — I don’t want to kiss all the time,” Styles clarified, sending Fineman walking offstage looking disappointed.
“Sometimes, kissing can be great, if you’re really good at it, and you’re a good person,” Styles continued — which brought Sarah Sherman onto the stage briefly before she also stormed off.
“Or if you have a tight little bum,” Styles added.
That cue brought Ben Marshall onto the stage.
“Hi Ben. What are you doing up here?” Styles asked.
“Well, you said tight little bum … so where’s my kiss?” Marshall replied.
“…Whatever, come here,” Styles said before pulling Marshall in for a kiss.
Turning back toward the camera, Styles delivered the punchline: “Now that’s queerbaiting,” he joked with a wink.
Later in the episode, Styles returned to the SNL stage to perform “Dance No More” and “Coming Up Roses,” both from his fourth studio album Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally., which was released on March 6.
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