'SNL' fans rediscover 1991 'Home Alone' parody with Macaulay Culkin and a table-smashing Chris Farley

On November 23, 1991, Macaulay Culkin was arguably at his peak of Hollywood fame: riding the wave of the blockbuster Home Alone, promoting the coming-of-age dramedy My Girl, and starring in an episode of Saturday Night Live. The latter was an incredible comedic and acting feat, given that he was only 11 years old, making him the show's second-youngest host ever. (Drew Barrymore hosted on November 20, 1982…at age 7.) It also featured a genuinely clever and underrated cold-open sketch: a Home Alone parody with SNL creator Lorne Michaels essentially subbing in as the patriarch and the cast serving as Culkin’s extended family.

The bit is nearly a mirror image of the film’s early McCallister-home pizza-dinner scene, playing on all of the classic quotes. Culkin asks a reliably hilarious Chris Farley if anyone ordered him a "plain cheese," and the comedian, channeling the character of Buzz, fires back, "Yeah, we did, but if you want any, somebody’s gonna have to barf it up because it’s all gone." The laughs are rapid-fire from there: Michaels telling David Spade to "go easy on those Pepsis," Culkin spraying soda into Farley’s face, the latter crashing into a table and destroying it.

Host Alone

Eventually, an outraged Michaels sends the Home Alone star to his dressing room as punishment. "Why do I get treated like scum?" Culkin asks. The producer replies, "You’re a host." Embarrassed and angered, the child actor wishes everyone would disappear so he could "do the show alone." Naturally, the entire cast flies to Paris for a special taping, and Culkin is left to rummage around an empty studio, goofing around in the props department.

It’s an expertly executed sketch, and lots of fans agree. In the Instagram comments of the resurfaced video, people left some choice replies.

"I get child actors being good, but he was on a completely different level!"

"He really was something! ❤️"

"This is first time I saw this. One of the best SNL skits… Looooove it 👏❤️❤️😍"

"Farley always giving 110%"

"When SNL was dope 💯😂"

"Macaulay really was just a different child actor. He was born for it. His talent & charisma was (& still is) so engaging & charming. this is the 1st time I’ve ever seen this & I can’t stop smiling"

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"The jacket he's wearing is the real star here... It's peak 90s fashion"

"Back when everyone loved SNL."

"One of the best SNL episodes 🙌"

"Farley falling through the table then just lying there... classic. He should be with us today"

"Seeing Lorne in a skit is always amazing. Happens so rarely nowadays."

Home Alone parodies: a rich SNL tradition

This isn’t SNL's first Home Alone parody. In a 2020 sketch, Kristen Wiig played a version of the "Pigeon Lady" opposite Melissa Villaseñor as Culkin’s Kevin McCallister in a "never before seen" ending from the film’s 1992 sequel, Lost in New York. But the show probably earned a bigger reaction with a goofy and gory 2025 spoof starring Ariana Grande as the left-behind Kevin. (We won’t spoil the ending, but it’s probably NSFW.)

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