Despite the presidential election towering over most of the discourse, Marcello Hernández nevertheless stands out – even if he's only 5-feet-7 inches tall. The 27-year-old accomplishes this as a shining beacon of joy who earns a welcome cackle from us every Saturday night.
The Miami-born comedian is one of “Saturday Night Live’s” newest and increasingly popular faces. Hernández was hired in 2022 as a recurring cast member, but has been promoted to a series regular for the show's landmark 50th anniversary season this year. This makes him one of the youngest cast members in the show’s recent history.
Despite or maybe because of his youth, Hernández has broken through to audiences and becoming a memorable face and a new favorite on the sketch comedy show.
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Salon goes through the ways Hernández has mesmerized audiences across the country.
Notoriously, in this dating day and age, men under 5-feet-9 have been branded short kings. It’s an inescapable backhanded label, causing a bitter division between the haves and the have-nots or in this case, the tall and short.
But the comedian, who is a self-proclaimed short king, finds that there’s nothing wrong with the moniker. Actually, Hernández sees it as his advantage and is reclaiming his height as desirable. This makes him appealing to his plugged-in Gen Z audience, who understand the implications of being labeled a short king. He’s just as online as they are, as he spent the early parts of his come-up on the Miami meme page “Only in Dade.”
In his early appearances on “SNL,” the comedian successfully argued for his fellow short kings, saying, “I know I’m short. You know how I know? Because when I lie about my height I say I’m 5'9", which really means I’m 5’7" and a half, and I’m lying about the half.”
Hernández goes on to tell "Weekend Update" host Colin Jost that short kings like them “should be proud of our heritage. We come from a long line of greats: Kevin Hart, Bruno Mars, Prince, The Minions, Al Pacino.” He goes on to call himself a petite prince and a tiny titan, and such celebratory self-awareness is........