Saturday Night Live's Portrayal of Comedy in Politics

Last weekend, actress Melissa McCarthy appeared on the late-night comedy show “Saturday Night Live.” Donning a wig and an elaborate costume, she portrayed White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer in a press conference. Her performance was met with rave reviews—according to Rolling Stone, McCarthy “perfectly captured the frosty, often acrimonious relationship between Spicer and the press.” Actor Alec Baldwin has also played a recurring role in SNL’s skits about President Trump, and cast member Kate McKinnon regularly stars in skits as Hillary Clinton.

While the show’s skits may be popular on the internet, politicians seem to disagree with these public opinions. President Trump has repeatedly denounced “Saturday Night Live,” which he claims to be “totally biased,” “unwatchable” and “not funny.” He tweeted that Alec Baldwin’s portrayal of him couldn’t get any worse, and that the sketch involving him was an example of the media rigging the election. Sean Spicer’s response to the skit about him wasn’t as confrontational as Trump’s, stating that while SNL was a funny show, McCarthy could “dial back” her impression of him.

Trump’s claims about SNL being biased actually have no basis whatsoever as they also repeatedly mocked Hillary Clinton throughout the duration of her campaign. Some of the most enduring ones that come to mind include a sketch called “President Barbie.” It showed young girls playing with toys in their room. When handed the President Barbie modeled after Clinton, the girls commented that it was “cool,” but they continued to play with their Lego blocks. As the narrator pressed them again to play with the doll, saying that it wouldn’t have been possible for a woman to be president decades ago, the girls simply shrugged and said that they weren’t alive back then, and that president Barbie should stop “trying so hard.” This was obviously mocking Clinton’s image of a candidate who was always meticulously prepared for every situation and tried to impress voters of all age groups. Another skit called “Hillary Campaign Ad” showed McKinnon as Clinton slowly morphing into Bernie Sander’s likeness through adopting a Brooklyn accent and wearing a wig and suit. It was referring to how Clinton took more left-leaning stances due to Sanders’ popularity, especially amongst millennial voters.

TV shows like these are important because they breathe new life and a fresh sense of humor into a political system that more people are growing disillusioned with. While I admit that SNL can have a liberal bias, it still tends to be bipartisan in who it chooses to make fun of. Victims have included all the former presidential candidates, ranging from Marco Rubio to Jim Webb. At the same time, shows like SNL can also make viewers who were only looking for entertainment cognizant of events happening around the world. The topics of their skits change according to current affairs, and they can inform people of news that they might not usually pay attention to. Cast members tackle important issues while mocking everyone involved. Shows with humorous political commentary are also popular, such as late-night shows with John Oliver, Trevor Noah and Stephen Colbert. The beauty of late-night television is that viewers could just be flipping through channels, and suddenly come across satirical commentary that draws them in. I’ve seen Jon Stewart cover topics ranging from his hatred of deep dish pizza to Senate inaction to Black Lives Matter, and he manages to be both compelling and funny every single time.

After a difficult election, people are searching for some escape. Political skits and shows serve as hilarious moments that we don’t take too seriously, while still reminding us of issues that are relevant to society and our lives. We could all use some cheering up in these tough times.