Question: How do you bring cheer to a world weighed down by woe?

Answer: By hiring Adele, of course.

The Chasing Pavements singer brought the pick-me-up America needed last night with a buoyant and banter-filled debut hosting slot on Saturday Night Live.

Adele drummed up the full force of her sheer Adele-ness to one of TV’s most iconic spoof shows; and if she felt “absolutely terrified” by the live gig, as she previously claimed to be, viewers would never have guessed.

In fact, the multi-Grammy winner looked like she was having the best time ever as she joked and parodied her way through the programme, at one point collapsing into laughter midway through her skit: 

One of the highlights of last night’s SNL came when Adele entered as a contestant looking for a date on a parody of the US reality show The Bachelor.

“I’m here because I’ve had a lot of heartbreak in my life – first at 19 and then, sort of famously, at 21 and then, even more famously, at 25,” she quipped, calling out her first three album names.

The singer then delighted the SNL audience by launching into renditions of her heartfelt hits at every possible juncture that The Bachelor had to offer:

Adele also joked about her weight loss that dominated headlines earlier this year during the show, saying, “I know I look really, really different since you last saw me. But actually, because of all the Covid restrictions… I had to travel light and I could only bring half of me. And this is the half I chose.”

The singer was joined on SNL by fellow guest stars including singer H.E.R., Jim Carrey  and SNL regular Maya Rudolph. 

Adele previously described herself as “excited” but “terrified” to step into the spotlight as SNL’s guest host. 

“I’ve always wanted to do it as a standalone moment, so that I could roll up my sleeves and fully throw myself into it, but the time has never been right,” she wrote a few days ago on Instagram. “But if there was ever a time for any of us to jump head first into the deep end with our eyes closed and hope for the best it’s 2020 right?”

Certainly, Adele’s fans couldn’t agree more: hundreds took to Twitter this weekend to salute her performance, as the word “Adele” trended on the platform. 

Granted, no-one can single-handedly save 2020. But on a cold October evening, Adele certainly gave it her all to spread some much-needed cheer. 

Of all the performances she has ever done, this was surely one of the finest. 

Image: Getty