SNL Fans Baffled by Sharon Stone’s Unannounced Cameo

Saturday Night Live returned last night for the show’s first episode of 2023, and it featured an array of exciting cameos. The White Lotus star Aubrey Plaza hosted the show with Sam Smith as the musical guest, and Plaza went back to her roots as an NBC page and even reunited with her Parks and Rec co-star, Amy Poehler. While Poehler’s cameo made a lot of sense considering her connection to Plaza, there was another cameo that had SNL fans a little confused (but also extremely delighted). Sharon Stone, the iconic actor known for Basic Instinct and Casino, popped up during Sam Smith’s performance of “Gloria.” While this may seem random, it actually makes perfect sense…

“Gloria” is the title track of Smith’s upcoming album, but it’s also the name of the 1999 film directed by Sidney Lumet, which was a remake of John Cassavetes’ 1980 film. Stone starred in Lumet’s version, which is probably why Smith wanted her in their performance. Interestingly, the Gloria remake was not well-received. The movie is currently up on Rotten Tomatoes with a 14% critics score and a 30% audience score. The film even earned Stone a Razzie Award nomination. A few years before Gloria, Stone was nominated for an Academy Award for her work in Casino. In addition to her cameo during Smith’s song, Stone also appeared in a sketch at the end of the show alongside Plaza. You can read some of the Twitter reactions to her SNL moments below: 

“Idk why but the Sam Smith SNL performance with Sharon Stone was the most surreal and satisfying thing I’ve seen all week. Was it camp? Was it insane? Who cares. It was memorable and that’s all that matters lol,” @alicentwaynes tweeted. “Wasn’t expecting Sam Smith to bring out Sharon Stone for a hymnal performance art moment that reminded me of Hereditary,” @jcav_ added. “Wonderfully weird,” @xina noted about the performance. “Sharon Stone is forever a GOAT to me,” @elizadwrites wrote.

“But Sharon Stone, as always, looks amazing,” @ESPNMcGee pointed out. “This Sam Smith and Sharon Stone performance is one of Stefon’s NY club descriptions brought to life,” @nobodysweasel joked. “Aubrey Plaza, Sam Smith, Sharon Stone cameos, Amy Poehler cameos, Parks and Rec in Weekend Update, Bowen Yang as George Santos. That was the best #SNL episode in a very long time!” @FrancisSadac declared. 

In addition to Stone’s appearance, Plaza also paid tribute to the star in one of her SNL photos, which you can check out below:

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What did you think of the latest episode of SNL? tell us in the comments!