Cord and Tish bring much-needed nonsense to the royal wedding

By Rina Raphael

May 19, 2018

Following the success of their 2018 Rose Parade coverage, TV personalities “Cord Hosenbeck” and “Tish Cattigan” took on a far more challenging event: the union of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

 

Will Ferrell and Molly Shannon reprised their satirical broadcast characters for The Royal Wedding Live with Cord and Tish!, an HBO special that aired on Saturday. Produced by Funny or Die, the show gave you the same experience as watching the event with your all-too-talkative aunt.

Whereas traditional coverage on mainstream networks offered royal family factoids and focused on the cultural importance of the wedding, HBO’s lovably clueless hosts picked apart senseless minutiae, like Markle’s waving skills. “Did she have a good sleep?” asked Tish, jokingly raising concern for the bride’s well-being. Such remarks, much to Ferrell and Shannon’s credit, led to an entire discussion. “What do you think she had for breakfast?” Cord later asked.

Other moments inspired floods of confessions and feelings, a nervous tick of the emotional hosting duo. When Tish mentioned the cavalry that awaited the newly married couple, Cord nervously replied, “I’m not a big fan of horses, they just scare me.” Later, he mused: What are the chances this wedding would turn into “a good old-fashioned brawl”?

The hosts seemed to occasionally poke fun at the royals, albeit disguised in their signature overly optimistic tone. “With a title like Suits, how can it not be good?” Cord sincerely asked of Meghan’s credentials, a reference to her USA Network legal drama.

SNL alum Tim Meadows was also on hand throughout the coverage, reporting live from the grounds of Windsor. He was generally on the receiving end of the hosts’ ribbing, specifically in regard to his purported weight gain. But he, too, got into the emotional madness of it all, admitting he was still recovering from a recent ayahuasca “journey.”

 
 

“I’m not okay,” said Meadows, playing a more fragile version of himself.  “Watching these two beautiful people come together shines a light on the rest of us. And that light is ugly. We don’t deserve to live in that light. I’ll never be a royal. None of us will ever be royals.”

Summing up what many may have been subconsciously thinking throughout the nuptials, Meadows bemoaned, “the contrast between my life and theirs has been made abundantly clear.”

Other notable guests included Cord’s hound Manfred, dressed in a doggie-sized tux, and Kristen Wiig as royal historian “Sir Albert.” Wiig’s character provided a rundown of guests she claimed would be in attendance at the wedding, including Ray Liotta, David Lynch, Captain Sully, “young Sheldon,” and David Simon.

“No wedding is complete without David Simon, the creator of The Wire,” she stressed.

The Cord and Tish brand was heavily promoted in anticipation of the event. Each character has their own Twitter account, and earlier in the week, the stars appeared on The Tonight Show to sing a tune devoted to their love of the royal couple.

 

As Prince Harry and Meghan Markle kissed before the crowds, Cord declared, “One small kiss for man, one giant kiss for mankind.” He then continued gushing, “Do you believe in miracles? That was a Kay Jewelers kiss. Every kiss begins with Kay.”

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