Teyana Taylor has revealed the moment she learned about her Academy Award nomination was not exactly what she had in mind.
“This week has been very insane,” the multi-hyphenate, 35, said during her opening monologue on Saturday Night Live (January 25).
“I was nominated for an Oscar for One Battle After Another. It is a dream come true,” she continued as the crowd erupted into applause.
The first-time host then joked: “I found out the way every little girl wants to find out — getting fitted for a bald cap next to Mikey Day.”
Donning the bald cap and a fake belly, the actor later showed off her dancing skills in a sketch where she played an octogenarian grandpa on the dance floor at a wedding, with Day appearing as the DJ.
The episode included a cold open that skewered Donald Trump’s obsession with winning prizes and brought back Mike Myers impersonating Elon Musk. Brooklyn-based rock band Geese also made their debut as the show’s musical guest.
In addition to Taylor’s comedic chops and dance moves, the Grammy-nominated artist also demonstrated her singing skills during the episode by dueting with Kenan Thompson in an airport sketch where two workers inform passengers that their flights were delayed through song.
The singer and former background dancer joked about her ranging skillset during her opening monologue, mentioning her season seven victory on The Masked Singer, her teenage appearance on MTV’s My Super Sweet 16 and her current escapades in culinary school.
The mom-of-two compared herself to a Glade plug-in air freshener, saying, “Why only plug me into the bathroom when I can make the whole building smell good?”
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Taylor’s Oscar nomination comes on the heels of her Golden Globe win for her supporting performance as the revolutionary Perfidia Beverly Hills in One Battle After Another opposite Leonardo DiCaprio’s stoner dad character Bob Ferguson.
One Battle After Another, which has been a critics’ favorite during awards season, scooped up four Golden Globe awards and is expected to take home more March 15 at the 98th Oscars.
For Best Supporting Actress, Taylor will go up against Wunmi Mosaku for Sinners, Amy Madigan for Weapons, and both Elle Fanning and Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas for Sentimental Value.
Taylor said in a statement following her Oscar nomination: “I fell asleep last night watching Pretty Woman, thinking about happy endings and how impossible they sometimes feel … and I woke up realizing I’ve been living in one that God has been preparing me for my own fairytale ending.”


