Eminem appears in music video parodying PS5 shortages on SNL

Comedy sketch show Saturday Night Live used its latest episode to parody the ongoing PlayStation 5 console shortages, with a cover of Eminem’s Stan.

Featuring comedian Pete Davidson (and a cameo from Eminem himself), the video features obsessive fan “Stu” who writes to Santa begging for the next-gen console, which he calls “the only thing keeping me alive”.

“I tried to buy one at Walmart / ran around the shopping mall like Paul Blart / Tried to find one for sale / but the thing is they’re all out / yo, I even went to a Gamestop / but then I was like, ‘oh wait, stop’ / Santa Claus can make one, the man got his own workshop.”

Stan was the hit single of Eminem’s The Marshall Mathers LP album, released in 2000.

Supply issues are expected to continue for both PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X this year, due to the impact of Covid-19 on shipping times.

A Microsoft exec recently said the company expects Xbox Series X/S shortages to continue until April 2021, while PlayStation has said that demand for PS5 has been “unprecedented”.

With console availability failing to satisfy launch demand, PS5 scalpers are currently seeking to cash in by selling them at extortionate prices on marketplaces like eBay, where a significant number of consoles have already been sold for more than double their retail price.

More PS5 and Xbox Series X/S stock is expected to be made available in the run-up to Christmas, but Microsoft has suggested it could change how future consoles are pre-ordered, to avoid the sort of chaotic online retail experiences seen this month.

Head of Xbox Phil Spencer told The Verge Microsoft has discussed giving customers the chance to put a deposit down and reserve a console with a guaranteed delivery date.