For nearly fifty years, Saturday Night Live has been both a launchpad for new comedy and a lightning rod for accusations that its ideas occasionally sound a little too familiar. This week, the show is once again facing that scrutiny after a New York-based comedian claimed that SNL’s buzzy “ChatGBTio” sketch bore a striking resemblance to a bit she posted online weeks earlier.
The comic, Isa Medina, took to Instagram Sunday to say that her own joke about a Latina version of ChatGPT — which she dubbed “ChatGBT” in a Reel shared four weeks ago — may have inspired the pre-taped sketch that aired in SNL’s Season 51 premiere, hosted by Bad Bunny.
“I know how truly insane it sounds to claim that a network television show would steal an idea from a content creator,” Medina wrote on her Instagram Story. “I’ve seen other comics do it and it’s like okaaaayyyy sure… it’s probably parallel thinking.”
“But,” she added pointedly, “it’s a bit less far-fetched when I know writers and cast members and they follow me. And one writer on the show actually COMMENTED on THAT exact reel — and now the comment has been deleted? lol why delete the comment if it was just parallel thinking?”
The Sketch at the Center of It All
The SNL sketch in question, titled “ChatGBTio,” was one of the first pre-taped pieces in the October 5 premiere. It featured cast member Marcello Hernández and musical guest Bad Bunny as two Latino uncles who moonlight as a sort of chaotic A.I. assistant, answering users’ questions with unsolicited advice and old-school machismo.
The fake commercial-style segment presented “ChatGBTio” as an alternative to the real ChatGPT — one that answers everything with opinions, insults, and personal stories. In one example, a user asks for a vegan banana bread recipe, to which Hernández’s uncle replies, “You don’t!”
The joke resonated with audiences. Many praised the sketch for highlighting Latin American family humor and for the chemistry between Hernández and Bunny, who improvised lines in Spanish.
But for Medina — whose viral Instagram clip imagined nearly the same setup — the similarity felt too close to ignore.
The Original Bit
In Medina’s original post, viewed over 200,000 times on Instagram and TikTok, she said:
“They should make a ChatGBT just for Latinas. It just argues with you. So if you say something, it just disagrees until eventually it’s like, ‘OK, you won.’”
The joke captured the same idea — a culturally specific parody of artificial intelligence that doesn’t offer helpful responses so much as commentary.
Medina, who hosts the podcast Sounds Like a Cult and has appeared on MTV and SiriusXM, has built a following of 84,000 on Instagram for her stand-up clips and sketches about language, identity, and dating.
She emphasized in her post that she wouldn’t have demanded money or writing credit — “I would have just wanted to meet Bad Bunny,” she joked — but wanted to acknowledge what she saw as a frustrating pattern.
“Honored to have finally had an idea good enough for SNL to steal and expand upon,” she wrote with a touch of sarcasm.
The Deleted Comment
Part of Medina’s suspicion stems from what she described as a deleted comment from a verified SNL writer on her Instagram Reel. She didn’t name the writer publicly, nor specify whether they had direct involvement in “ChatGBTio.”
Medina has been photographed with former SNL cast member Emil Wakim, and she said she’s friendly with other comedians connected to the show. “It’s a small comedy world,” she wrote. “People follow people. I’m not some random TikToker from nowhere.”
A source close to the show told LateNighter that “ChatGBTio” was conceived independently by writers already brainstorming tech-themed sketches for Bad Bunny’s episode. “Any resemblance is purely coincidental,” the source said. “This was developed internally.”
NBC and Saturday Night Live have not officially commented.
A Familiar Accusation
If the situation feels familiar, that’s because SNL has weathered similar allegations in the past — often from independent comics who claimed the show repurposed their premises.
In 2022, a Canadian sketch duo accused SNL of copying their “Christmas Carol” parody almost beat-for-beat; in 2018, a stand-up comic went viral after pointing out parallels between his routine and a Pete Davidson sketch. None of those claims led to legal action, and SNL maintained that the similarities were coincidental.
The truth is that overlapping ideas are practically inevitable in comedy. As social media democratizes joke-sharing, thousands of writers now post material online every day. That flood of content means even veteran comedians can inadvertently replicate a setup they’ve absorbed without realizing it.
But in an era when a single Instagram post can reach millions, what used to be a quiet case of “parallel thinking” can quickly become a public controversy.
The Difficulty of Proof
Comedy lawyers and entertainment executives often describe these cases as nearly impossible to prove. Premises — unlike specific scripts or dialogue — are rarely protectable under copyright law. What matters legally is expression: the exact wording, structure, or performance, not the underlying idea.
A joke about “ChatGPT for Latinas” and a sketch about “ChatGBTio” may share DNA, but without identical scripting or visuals, it’s unlikely any court would consider it plagiarism.
That said, public perception can be harder to manage. For SNL, a show that prides itself on originality and for nurturing emerging talent, even the whiff of creative borrowing can tarnish its reputation.
The Broader Context: SNL and Online Comedy
The controversy also highlights a growing tension between SNL and the new generation of online comedians. Where the show once functioned as the comedy world’s gatekeeper, today’s digital creators build massive followings on TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram — bypassing traditional TV altogether.
Those creators are no longer obscure voices. Many have viewership that rivals SNL’s weekly audience. The creative overlap between a viral comic and a network institution is no longer a coincidence; it’s an inevitability.
“SNL doesn’t exist in a vacuum anymore,” says one former staff writer. “Writers are constantly consuming online comedy. Sometimes ideas percolate without anyone realizing where they came from.”
That’s part of why Medina’s post struck such a nerve. It taps into a wider feeling among independent comics that digital creators feed the culture, while legacy institutions reap the rewards.
Industry Reaction
Reaction within the comedy community has been divided. Some peers defended Medina’s frustration, saying that her experience mirrors the power imbalance between individual performers and corporate networks. Others cautioned against assuming malice.
“I know Isa, she’s hilarious,” wrote one fellow comic on X. “But honestly, we’ve all had the same idea at some point about AI with personality. That’s just the zeitgeist.”
Fans of SNL pointed out that tech and cultural mash-ups — especially with ChatGPT — have become an almost inevitable topic this year. Countless comedians have riffed on the concept of “AI with attitude.”
Still, the incident underscores how much scrutiny SNL faces in its 51st season. With long-time showrunner Lorne Michaels reportedly eyeing succession plans and new writers trying to prove themselves, even small controversies can ripple outward.
What Happens Next
For now, neither Medina nor SNL appears eager to escalate the situation. Medina has not suggested legal action and has continued posting comedy clips on her social channels.
In her final comment on the matter, she struck a tone that was more bemused than bitter. “I’m just annoyed,” she said. “If they’d told me, I would’ve just wanted to hang out at 30 Rock and meet Bad Bunny. Gwatever.”
If SNL responds, it will likely maintain its long-standing position: that the sketch was independently conceived. But even if that’s true, the controversy points to a deeper cultural truth — that the distance between “content creator” and “television writer” has never been smaller.
Closing Thoughts
In the end, whether “ChatGBTio” was a case of coincidence or influence may never be resolved. What’s certain is that the boundary between digital comedy and television is now porous — ideas flow freely, audiences overlap, and ownership of a premise can feel communal.
For Saturday Night Live, that means more vigilance in crediting inspiration and acknowledging that the next big idea might not come from 30 Rockefeller Plaza, but from a phone screen in Queens.
And for comedians like Isa Medina, it’s a reminder that a viral joke can now live two lives — one online, and one on live TV — even if the credit lines blur along the way.
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