For fans of Miley Cyrus last night's "Saturday Night Live" had to seem, like, "pretty cool," as the 18-year-old former Disney Channel Star made her first ever appearance as host on the long running sketch comedy show, alongside musical guest The Strokes.
From the very beginning, Cyrus made it clear she was not above lampooning herself, self-depreciatingly telling viewers during her monologue that "Hannah Montana" was The Disney Channel's version of "Black Swan," before transitioning into "I'm Sorry I'm Not Perfect," a song which managed to walk the fine line of referencing nearly every scandal of the young performer's still burgeoning career without actually apologizing for any of them.
"There's a photo of me dressed like a dude, and Annie Leibovitz tried to get me nude. For those of you who think that's pretty crude, I'm sorry I'm not perfect," Cyrus belted.
"[I] didn't make a dirty tape, and pass it along. Didn't text a dirty picture of [my] dong," she continued, flanked by cast members Bobby Moynihan and Kristen Wiig. "Don't' both of these things seem worse than a bong? I'm sorry I'm not perfect."
The show's midnight centerpiece was, predictably, "The Miley Cyrus Show," which continued SNL's recent tradition of having the target of their hijinks appear alongside the actor lampooning them. In this case, Vanessa Bayer, whose spot-on impersonation of the giggly, hyper-loquacious Cyrus has become a show highlight, made room on her mock talk show for Cyrus herself, who in her best impression of the night played Justin Bieber.
"Did you know I smoked salvia," Bayer as Cyrus said to her guest.
"Well there's no reason that you wouldn't," Cyrus as Bieber replied, looking straight into the camera. "Because it's totally legal, yo!"
The spot offered up further opportunity for Cyrus to be in on the joke, dancing alongside a super sycophantic caricature of her father played by Jason Sudeikis, and laughing as Bayer introduced a 3D film called "Always Say Always" to compete with Bieber's "Never Say Never."
But while she took turns playing Bieber, Lindsay Lohan and Fergie among others, the most daring sketch of the night might have been the one where Cyrus played herself, in a bite the hand that fed you skit called "Disney Channel Acting School."
Alongside Kenan Thompson as Raven Symone, Cyrus offered tips for kids looking to break into the big time with a show on the young adult channel including, "On the Disney Channel, every person has to be the loudest person in the room," and, "In the Disney Channel world, any child is smarter than every adult." Cyrus also showed off some classic moves like "Reacting to Stinky Feet" and "Spying in a Doorway."