Chris Rock has some very eyebrow-raising comedy material to share with the SNL audience on Saturday night.
The comedian, actor and former cast member of the NBC sketch comedy series cited the 2013 Boston Marathon and the 9/11 attacks, as well as Christmas and Jesus during his monologue. He also dressed up as a terrorist himself in a Shark Tank parody skit.
On a lighter note, many cast members expressed much love for Taylor Swift, who recently released her new album 1989, a spoof ad.
The musical performer was Prince, who is promoting not one but TWO new albums and absolutely slayed, accompanied by the girl rock group 3RDEYEGIRL. During part of his act, he wore the three-lens round sunglasses he sports on the cover of one of the records, Art Official Age.
Check out some key moments from the show.
1. Terrorism jokes
"Yesterday was Halloween, tomorrow is the New York City marathon. Yeah, scary, you know, what could go wrong there?" Rock says during his monologue, drawing laughs.
At the 2013 Boston Marathon, three people were killed and 264 were wounded in a bombing carried out by two ethnic Chechen brothers.
"That was probably the most frightening, sadistic terrorist attack ever!" Rock says about the Boston Marathon bombing. "Twenty-six miles! Twenty-six miles is a long DRIVE. If you call up one of your friends...'Hey man, I need you to pick me up' 'Where you at?' 'About 26 miles away.' 'Then you better get Uber!'"
The car, taxi and ride-sharing service was cited several times in jokes throughout the episode.
The Boston Marathon bombing marked one of the largest attacks in the United States since Sept. 11, 2001, when thousands of people were killed by terrorists from the Islamic militant group al Qaeda, who hijacked commercial airplanes and caused them to crash into the New York City's World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania. New skyscrapers are planned in the World Trade Center site, including the Freedom Tower, which is set to open later this year.
"They should change the name from the 'Freedom Tower' to the 'Never Going in There Tower'!" Rock says, drawing laughs.
"Hey, hey, I'm not joking about 9/11. I'm not, I'm not," he says. "But you gotta realize, we are in America, and in America, there are no sacred days, 'cause we commercialize everything. We're only five years away from 9/11 sales! That's right. You're gonna hear it on the radio. 'Come on down to Red Lobster. These shrimp are nine dollars and 11 cents!"
"Look at what we did to Christmas," he adds. "Christmas is Jesus' birthday. I don't know Jesus but from what I've read Jesus is the least materialistic person to ever roam the Earth! No bling on Jesus!"
2. ISIS terrorists pitch idea to the Sharks
In a parody of the business-themed reality show Shark Tank, Rock and SNL star Kyle Mooney portray terrorists from Islamic State, also known as ISIS and ISIL (an inconsistency that one of the Sharks have flagged as problematic).
The United States and other countries have been engaged in air assaults against targets in Iraq and Syria to try to stop the Islamic group, whose members have been capturing territories and executing people they consider non-believers, including four Westerners.
Rock and Mooney explain to the Sharks that ISIS is growing too fast and resources are spread too thin. They want millions of dollars from the Sharks, including main star Mark Cuban, played by Taran Killam, "in exchange for a 1 percent stake in our new kingdom."
"So who's ready to invest in crushing the West?" they say.
3. "Swiftamine"
Moving away from terrorism, SNL paid tribute to Swift with a mock medication ad touting a drug that curbs vertigo that is caused by listening to her music.
"I felt nauseous. I don't like Taylor Swift. I know I don't," Rock says,
"Yes, you do," says Beck Bennett, playing a neurologist. "You friggin love her."
4. Uptight dad
Rock also played a dad who is less-than-thrilled about his teenage daughter's sexy dance moves, which she showcases on her Vlog series in front of her friend-zoned male friend. Rock's character is also less-then-thrilled with her target audience, which totals three million, and the new Millennial slang he learns.
"I can't help it Dad, it's what my body wants to do!" shouts his daughter, played by Sasheer Zamata.
"Do I need to send you to Catholic school?" he says.
Chris Rock on SNL
5. Prince slays
The singer, who rose to fame in the '80s and '90s, remains the ultimate pop star and showman, showcasing a variety of musical styles and amazing electric guitar skills during a whopping 8-and-a-half-minute-performance of a medley of new songs "CLOUDS," "Marz" and "Another Love." (Watch his performance here.)