Dan Levy parodied the It Gets Better adverts that inspired queer youth in the early 2010s. (Screen capture via YouTube/SNL)
More than a decade on since the beloved public service advertisement inspired an entire generation of queer folk, Dan Levy gave a much-needed update to It Gets Better.
Bowen Yang, Punkie Johnson, Kate McKinnon and Levy parodied the ad on Saturday Night Live on, well, Saturday night (6 February) as part of the Schitt’s Creek actor’s guest-hosting slot.
It Gets Better is a nonprofit devoted to helping LGBT+ teens overcome discrimination in school by showing them videos of queer adults living their truths, happy and content.
Yang, Johnson, McKinnon and Levy played four LGBT+ people who took part in the campaign as teens in the early 2010s. All grown up, the four revealed that, yes, their lives did, indeed, “get better”. Well, kinda.
The skit begins with household queer celebrities Zachary Quinto and Adam Lambert’s own It Gets Better videos, before cutting to McKinnon who says: “It gets better… and then within that ‘better’ there are some things that are less better.”
For example, Yang’s character reveals that after graduating high school, he was no longer bullied “by straight people, and then I pretty much immediately started getting tormented by gay people for my taste in music.”
And whether it be income taxes, iguanas or whether or not you like Lady Gaga’s Chromatica, life for the four all – you guessed it – got better as they now get “to have problems previously only available to straight people.
“And that is progress,” Levy joked.
LGBT+ people applaud Dan Levy for his SNL It Gets Better sketch
Of course, because we don’t have much to do other than wallow in the state of our lives and tweet, countless queer Twitter users celebrated the skit. Praising its frankness at how life really turns out for LGBT+ folk, which certainly does include a lot of tax-paying and sparring with randoms online about what Gaga song is best.
Therapy: expensive
The LGBT SNL cast members and host Dan Levy telling us it gets better: free— arielle (@weeekendupdate) February 7, 2021
Okay the “It gets better” skit really spoke to me #SNL
— Jules (@dancetheskies) February 7, 2021
“It gets better. And it gets other stuff too”, LOL this is so truth no matter what your pronouns are.
Love you @danjlevy & congratulations!! 💖🔥💖🔥😘♥️ @nbcsnl #SNL— Screwball Sally (@DanaDeeSaravia) February 7, 2021
“After high-school I really learned to love myself, I finally stopped getting bullied. By straight people. Then I pretty much immediately started getting tormented by gay people. For my taste in music, I think is why?” pic.twitter.com/qS3NCKtk91
— Dr. Chris Ince (@Chris_Ince) February 7, 2021
The “It Gets Better” skit on @nbcsnl is by far the best of @danjlevy’s episode 🤣#ItGetsBetter 🏳️🌈
— seriouslyjai🏳️🌈 (@seriouslyjai) February 7, 2021
As I rapidly approach 27 years old, that it gets better sketch hits a little TOO close to home #SNL
— Lia 🏳️🌈 (@lia_anita94) February 7, 2021
While It Gets Better itself praised Levy, Yang, McKinnon and Johnson.
We still can’t get over this sketch!❤️❤️❤️ Thank you @danjlevy, Bowen Yang, Kate McKinnon, Punkie Johnson, and all of the proudly out people at @nbcsnl who made last night’s skit happen. We love you! #Itgetsbetter https://t.co/xlgrh0b1sc
— It Gets Better (@ItGetsBetter) February 7, 2021