Donald Trump, GOP candidate and Penn Alumi, hosted NBC's Saturday Night Live November 7th. Courtesy of Creative Commons | Gage Skidmore
Donald Trump’s second "Saturday Night Live" stint embraced its controversy.
The 1968 Wharton graduate, businessman and presidential candidate was at the center of more contention last month when NBC announced he would host the late-night comedy show. The network drew criticism for inviting Trump to host after he made racially insensitive comments about Latinos. OnSaturday evening, outrage continued as, hours before the show, dozens of protesters flooded Rockefeller Plaza, waving signs emblazoned with slogans such as “SNL, stop the hate” and “Dump Trump.”
The show, known for its liberal cast members and views, attempted to strike a balance between poking fun of Trump and letting him be in on the joke. Sketches made fun of his eccentricities, like his self-aggrandizing statements: “A lot of people are saying 'Donald, you’re the most amazing guy. You’re brilliant, you’re handsome, you’re rich, you have everything going,'” Trump said in his opening monologue.
Another sketch joked about Trump’s many feuds. Trump tweeted insults at cast members, including one that called Penn alumna Vanessa Bayer an “average talent and a total loser.”
Though critics have described the episode as "dead" and "boring," they described references to Trump's protesters as highlights. During Trump’s opening monologue, guest comedian Larry David yelled out, “Trump’s a racist,” referring to the protesters outside who offered $5,000 to anyone who heckled Trump. The campaign director for DeportRacism.com told Rolling Stone on Sunday they will be sending David the prize money and a "Deport Racism" T-shirt to show their appreciation.
In one skit, which imagines Trump as president, the Mexican president hands him a check to build a wall, and the owner of Spanish TV station Telemundo thanks him for convincing him to switch to English. The Weekend Update segment also referenced protesters’ demands to “dump Trump.”
Though "Saturday Night Live" often invites the very politicians it lampoons to appear as guests, including Democratic presidential contender Hillary Clinton last month, Trump’s invitation to host an episode was largely unprecedented — only eight politicians have ever hosted the show, and only one, Rev. Al Sharpton in 2003, was actively involved in seeking the presidency.
The cast members teased Trump supporters as well — the recurring "Saturday Night Live" character “drunk uncle,” played by cast member Bobby Moynihan, describes himself as Trump’s biggest fan while slurring his words.
The night's jokes never mentioned Trump’s tendency to flaunt his Penn degree, but in a joke earlier this season, Trump's wife called the Wharton School the “Hogwarts School of Business."
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