By Shannon Raneri
The University of Maryland’s annual Homecoming Comedy Show is one of the biggest campus events, and this year, Saturday Night Live’s Marcello Hernández headlined the event. The comedian brought laughs and comedic flair to the campus on Saturday, Oct. 26.

With him, Hernández brought comedians Matt Richards and Tommy Brennan, who currently star as Featured Player as one of SNL’s newest members. Richards opened the night with jokes about the current political environment of the country and Brennan followed with a comedic twist on his unusual upbringing.

As Hernández ran to the stage to begin his set, he was met with thunderous applause. Hernández once opened for Colin Jost at Ritchie Coliseum for the Homecoming Comedy Show in 2022. In addition to Jost, previous headlines have included Eric André, Leslie Jones and Kevin Hart.

“It’s been so exciting watching his rise to popularity over the past few years, and even more so in the year leading up to the HCS,” SEE Comedy Director Gabrielle Rowley said. “It’s really special bringing talent back to campus, especially on a larger scale than before.”

Hernández’s show brought laughs from all around the Xfinity Center the entire time he was onstage, poking fun at today’s political scene, current events and culture.

Freshman biology major Ella Klimowicz thought that Hernández’s jokes helped lighten the environment of today’s politics.

“Marcello was talking about immigration and deportation, and he did it in a way where he was serious but also was able to incorporate comedic aspects into it,” Klimowicz said.

Something that stuck out to audience members was the relatability of Hernández’s jokes. Oftentimes, it was the relatable jokes that freshman biological sciences-microbiology track Jasper Thomas found the most funny.

“[Hernández] had jokes about Maryland. There were some jokes about his relationships … and I think that’s funny,” Thomas said.

Senior neuroscience major Hailey Reyes said she laughed at every single joke, adding that because she’s Hispanic, she could relate to his jokes.

“When he would talk about his family, I could relate to them,” Reyes said. “It was just, overall, super funny and relatable as well.”

Since the comedy show, numerous events have taken place across campus, including the Maryland Men’s Soccer match against New Haven, a showing of Top Gun: Maverick at SECU Stadium and the Food Truck Festival.

On Nov. 1, the Terps faced the Indiana Hoosiers. They fell 55-10 against the No. 1 team in the Big Ten conference.

Featured Image: Flyer promoting Marcello Hernández on campus. Photo by Miller Rogers-Tetrick.

Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to clarify that the 2022 Homecoming Comedy Show did not take place at Xfinity Center. Previous version: “Hernández once stood on the very same stage when he opened for Colin Jost, who headlined the Homecoming Comedy Show in 2022.” Current version: “Hernández once opened for Colin Jost at Ritchie Coliseum for the Homecoming Comedy Show in 2022.“