In a playful yet pointed turn on November 8, 2025, comedian Nikki Glaser hosted “Saturday Night Live” and brought one of her sharper sketches to the forefront. The highlight: a segment titled “Spirit Tunnel Anxiety,” in which she satirised the pressures faced by guests on Jennifer Hudson’s daytime show.
In the sketch, Glaser portrays a nervous celebrity guest who must navigate the show’s so‑called “spirit tunnel.” The gag hinges on the absurdity of what appears to be a ritualistic walk through the tunnel, and the anxiety surrounding being publicly showcased. To escalate the joke, the sketch introduces a fake medication called “Hudsacilin,” which is humorously billed as “the only medication proven to cure spirit‑tunnel‑related symptoms.” The twist: it works not by alleviating anxiety, but by making the subject so violently ill that cancellation becomes inevitable.
Though exaggerated, the sketch taps into real‑world anxieties about performance, image, and the televised spotlight. It slyly comments on the talk‑show ecosystem, where guests often feel under‑prepared or hyper‑visible, and turns that pressure into comedic material.
Critics and viewers pointed to this sketch as a standout moment of the episode. The hosting performance from Glaser was regarded as strong, balancing edgy comedic material with the live‑TV format successfully. While the musical guest and other segments added variety, it was the “Spirit Tunnel Anxiety” bit that drove conversation and garnered social‑media attention.
Overall, the sketch underscores Glaser’s talent for turning cultural tropes into sharp satire. By framing the “spirit tunnel” as a public spectacle and offering a bogus “cure,” the show held up a mirror to celebrity rituals and conversational TV formats—and invited viewers to laugh at the discomfort that guests often mask behind polished smiles.