Marcello Hernandez, a cast member of the comedy sketch series “Saturday Night Live,” took to the Weis Center stage on Monday, Feb. 3. Joining him on stage was Tommy Mandrus ’25 who facilitated the Q&A session for the night. Mandrus is a member of Bucknell’s improv troupe “We Brake for Nobody” and Bucknell’s sketch comedy show “The Knuckle Sandwich Show.”
Although it has been airing for decades, “SNL” has recently spiked in popularity amongst young people as the comedy sketches circulate on social media platforms such as TikTok. A recent sketch titled “Bridesmaid Speech” featured Hernandez as the character “Domingo,” in which he comically sang some of his lines to the tune of Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso.” As the song rose to popularity as a TikTok sound, Hernandez became so well known for this sketch that Mandrus jokingly asked if he preferred to be called Marcello or Domingo.
Throughout the Q&A, whether prompted by Mandrus or by an audience member, Hernandez shared his stories and advice as a young comedian. Although he admitted he was a bit of a “class clown,” his desire to pursue comedy did not necessarily start at a young age. Hernandez was also a committed soccer player in grade school and in college, and he didn’t begin performing at open mics until about 18 years old.
While attending college at John Carroll University, Hernandez began to struggle with balancing life as an athlete and a comedian, eventually deciding to fully commit to comedy. He chose to format his major to better suit his career goals, taking not only communications and writing courses but also marketing and sales.
Hernandez was able to answer a substantial number of audience questions. It was clear through their questions that many students appreciated the media representation he has helped to build for Latinos, a part of his identity that Hernandez takes pride in. At one point, Hernandez and a student audience member held a brief conversation purely in Spanish. He spoke on how he draws a lot of inspiration from his culture and family when writing his stand-up routines.
Hernandez wasn’t only able to represent his culture on stage, but also his alma mater! Not just one, but two different audience members mentioned in their questions that they attended the same high school as Hernandez. With Hernandez only being 27 and therefore a “recent” graduate, one student even asked him to pick a favorite of two teachers.
The beginnings of Hernandez’s interest in being on stage began in high school when a teacher recommended that he compete in a theater competition centered around monologues. Enjoying the experience, Hernandez began to wonder “what it would be like if he wrote the scripts himself.” He even shared with the audience that he would consider taking on Broadway, being especially inspired by an interview with actor Denzel Washington, who had also dabbled in live theatre.
Overall, the night was filled with laughs as Hernandez and Mandrus bantered on stage. Hernandez was not only able to bring career advice to the student audience, but also their own little “Monday Night Live.”
