John Mulaney's Latest SNL Musical Brings Back Bowen Yang As Mary Todd Lincoln, Plus Ashley Padilla's Kathy

John Mulaney returned to "Saturday Night Live" this weekend, and you know what that means: another elaborate musical tribute to New York City, complete with Broadway parodies, eccentric characters, and a few familiar faces.

In the November 14 episode, Mulaney played a Central Park carriage driver lamenting the city's decision to ban horse-drawn carriages. As he escorted two tourists (Marcello Hernández and Kam Patterson) through the park, they encountered an assortment of New Yorkers, each with a song to sing.

Highlights included Veronika Slowikowska as a marathon runner who still hadn't finished the race, belting out a parody of "Don't Rain on My Parade" from "Funny Girl," and Tommy Brennan as a pedicab driver challenging Mulaney to "Anything You Can Do" from "Annie Get Your Gun." Elsewhere, Kenan Thompson appeared as a cloud of marijuana smoke in a number inspired by "Cats," while James Austin Johnson and Jeremy Culhane riffed on "West Side Story" as a Mayor Zohran Mamdani supporter and disgruntled billionaire, respectively.

But the biggest surprise came courtesy of former cast member Bowen Yang, currently starring in Broadway's "Oh, Mary!" Yang reprised his role as Mary Todd Lincoln — or, more specifically, the Mary Todd Lincoln Tunnel — performing a traffic-themed rendition of "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" from "Dreamgirls." It marked Yang's second appearance of the evening, following his return in the cold open as disgraced former NVIDIA CEO Jensen "Hide Your Wife" Huang.

Also surprising audiences was Ashley Padilla's Kathy, the socially oblivious office worker who had already made her second-ever appearance earlier that night, following her debut in last season's Jack Black-hosted episode.

Mulaney's Broadway-inspired sketches date back to his first hosting stint in April 2018, when Pete Davidson's decision to order seafood at a diner gave rise to "Diner Lobster," a parody of "Les Misérables." That was followed by "Bodega Bathroom" (2019), "Airport Sushi" (2020), "New York Musical" (2020), "Subway Churro" (2022), and "Port Authority Duane Reade" (2024).

The tradition continued during February 2025's "SNL50" anniversary special, when Mulaney led a star-studded musical tribute to New York City featuring Lin-Manuel Miranda, Nathan Lane, and several returning cast members.

"Saturday Night Live" Season 52 resumes on December 5, with host Amanda Seyfried.