After a little turkey break, Arielle, Alexei, and Avery sit down to talk about Simu Liu and Saweetie on Saturday Night Live. They get into a lot, including Arielle's new practice in witchcraft, as Baby Yoda has returned to the Weekend Update desk and stolen hearts everywhere not even two weeks after she asked for it! Remember how SNL stopped doing recurring bits? Well, this ep more than compensated. Between that, the Target parody, Baking Championship, Jeanine Pirro, and Doghead Guy, there's plenty of old favorites to wax nostalgic and/or bitch about. So, tune in to hear about all that and find out which writer's hands made Cecily Strong and Mikey Day break on air.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @strugglespod to keep up with the show, or email us at [email protected]!

This week's crew:

Arielle (@jesterbestie)

Avery (@cosmicholiday)

Alexei (@ratmiddleman)

Boy, we hope you guys watched Succession, cause we're rebranding! There’s a lot of complaints to go around this week, as the gang talks about Kieran Culkin’s return to Studio 8H and tears into the excessive Cold Open length, never-ending screen time issues, and the sheer lack of Kyle Mooney so far this season. We are going to intervene. KYLE GET BEHIND US! Tragically, we still enjoy this dumb show and also discuss how god damn charismatic Chris Redd is, the one act play that was Men’s Room, Cecily Strong’s powerful Update feature, and, of course, our favorite writing boys’ cameos! Plus, hear the best struggles of the week, featuring stan Twitter’s two favorite things: Please Don’t Destroy and Glee.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @strugglespod to keep up with the show, or email us at [email protected]!

This week's crew:

Arielle (@jesterbestie)

Avery (@cosmicholiday)

Alexei (@ratmiddleman)

Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around around once in a while, you could start a podcast. This week, Arielle, Alexei, and Avery celebrate one year of SNL Struggles by looking back on their mental decline and revisiting the episode of Saturday Night Live that brought them together: John Mulaney and David Byrne (Season 45, Episode 14). They talk about Avery causing chaos at their first standby line, why Arielle still holds a personal grudge towards Lorne Michaels, how SNL stan culture has evolved since the pandemic, Uncle Meme and how long their Steven Castillo brainrot has been going on, and some more Weekend Update conspiracy theories. It's a sappy show, folks!

Thank you for listening to this chatter for a year. We owe you a debt that could never be repaid (two eardrums). Much love to you all.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @strugglespod to keep up with the show, or email us at [email protected]!

This week's crew:

Arielle (@jesterbestie)

Avery (@cosmicholiday)

Alexei (@ratmiddleman)

Eight years after dad said he was going to the corner store for cigarettes, he finally came back home! This week, Arielle, Alexei, and Avery talk all about former cast member Jason Sudeikis's return to Studio 8H and how emotional it made them. They discuss how Colin Jost remembered what being funny is like by writing "Mellen," the horny nightmare that was "Parent-Teacher Conference" (Is Ego okay?), Melissa Villaseñor's comforting presence on the show, and the insane return of two beloved pieces: Guy Who Just Bought a Boat and What's Up with That! Tears are shed. Lives are changed.

SUPPORT TV AND FILM WORKERS:

IATSE LINK TREE WITH RESOURCES: https://linktr.ee/IAStories

Check out @IATSE and @IA_STORIES on Instagram for more information.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @strugglespod to keep up with the show, or email us at [email protected]!

This week's crew:

Arielle (@jesterbestie)

Avery (@cosmicholiday)

Alexei (@ratmiddleman)

Switch out your batteries, cause Double-A is back! This week, Arielle and Avery break down the banger of an episode that aired last Saturday. They get into Rami Malek's strong presence as a host, applying auteur theory to sketch comedy, Bowen Yang's incredible reemergence with Daddy Long Legs and an Oompa Loompa, Chris Redd's return to the Weekend Update desk (#HEWASTHERETOO), and certified "scrunkly" Aristotle Athari's phenomenal debut as Angelo! Plus, hear predictions for Jason Sudeikis's hosting gig and the best struggles of the week, featuring Please Don't Destroy and Avery's humble request to be put down.

SUPPORT TV AND FILM WORKERS:

IATSE LINK TREE WITH RESOURCES: https://linktr.ee/IAStories

Check out @IATSE and @IA_STORIES on Instagram for more information.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @strugglespod to keep up with the show, or email us at [email protected]!

This week's crew:

Arielle (@jesterbestie)

Avery (@cosmicholiday)

This week Arielle, Alexei, and Avery sit down to unpack Kim Kardashian's SNL debut and all the fun and flopping that came from it. They get into how Kim invoked the spirit of Norm Macdonald in her monologue, why "Jasmine and Aladdin" made them change channels and their new (in a long line of) frustrations with Colin Jost and Michael Che, the glorious return of Terry Fink to Weekend Update, and Please Don't Destroy's first sketch on television! Plus hear everyone's favorite struggles of the week and an important message from Arielle about the impending IATSE strike. #IASolidarity!

IATSE LINK TREE WITH RESOURCES: https://linktr.ee/IAStories

Check out @IATSE and @IA_STORIES on Instagram for more information.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @strugglespod to keep up with the show, or email us at [email protected]!

This week's crew:

Arielle (@jesterbestie)

Alexei (@ratmiddleman)

Avery (@cosmicholiday)

The reviews are in and the ratings are down! Season 47 of Saturday Night Live is officially here. This week, Arielle, Alexei, and Avery are joined by their friends, comedian Keira Millin and DILF connoisseur Arden, to discuss the season premiere. The gang got to watch Owen Wilson's first hosting gig live in person, so they recount their traumatic standby line experience, Lorne's mini panic attack backstage, and other behind-the-scenes shenanigans. They say a tearful goodbye to Alex Moffat's Joe Biden impression and hello to new cast members Aristotle Athari, James Austin Johnson, and Sarah Sherman. Plus, hear all the best struggles of the week, including the return of the infamous Mr. Struggles.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @strugglespod to keep up with the show, or email us at [email protected]!

This week's crew:

Keira Millin (@kettlevinyl)

Arden (@erasermulaney)

Arielle (@jesterbestie)

Alexei (@ratmiddleman)

Avery (@cosmicholiday)

This week, Alexei, Avery, and Izzy pay tribute to the legendary comedian and Weekend Update anchor Norm Macdonald.

If our last episode was our lobotomy paperwork, this is sending us straight into the psych ward! Arielle and Avery sit down this week to reminisce about Summer 2020 and how everyone lost their damn minds about Colin Kelly Jost. Yeah. A man with the middle name Kelly. From secret groupchats to a Zoom book tour featuring two-time election loser Andrew Yang, the two go through every embarrassing emotion they experienced during the first wave of Jostism. Did Arielle break copyright law? Did Avery accidentally pay for Cosmo's college fund? Have Michael Che and Scarlett Johansson ever even met each other? Listen to find out! Plus, hear Avery talk all about their experience seeing Colin and Andrew Dismukes LIVE FROM A STRIP MALL and all the DeuxMoi drama in between.

The gang is back with their Top 15 sketches of Season 46! How's the hiatus been for you guys? Because Arielle's slipped down a rabbit hole of writing credits, so to speak. After a bit of psychoanalysis, she, Alexei, and Avery break down their favorite sketches, pre-tapes, and Weekend Update appearances from this strange and stressful season. Tune in for shocking omissions, controversial top picks, and a surprise "cameo" from an SNL writer that makes everyone need to lie down.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @strugglespod to keep up with the show, or email us at [email protected]!

This week's crew:

Arielle (@jesterbestie)

Alexei (@ratmiddleman)

Avery (@cosmicholiday)