Saturday Night Live is known for its political-themed cold opening, where the NBC variety program stalwart consistently pokes fun at major current happenings, usually of whoever sits in front of the Resolute Desk. It was surprising to see them make a U-turn this week.
The writers chose to go the humorous route for the elephant in the room this week, President Joe Biden pardoning his son Hunter, instead of satirizing the situation. They resurrected one of their most popular characters, “Church Chat’s” host, Church Lady. If you’re not familiar with the show (after all, not everyone is a Gen Xer), it features a holier-than-thou Christian talk-show host who sits with several guests in either entertainment or politics.
Oh, yeah (couldn’t resist!) Former SNL castmate Dana Carvey played Biden from 1986-1990. I think his only other appearance in “Saturday Night Live’s” 15th-anniversary special was in May 2016
SNL has included Hunter Biden, finally, in a sketch after almost four years.
This time, the “program” of The Church Lady is a “year in reviews” for 2024. It features a mix of topics that are hot at the moment. The part with Yankees’ free agent Juan Soto, played by Marcello Hernandez and Sarah Sherman respectively, was slightly more funny than the mean-spirited piece on former GOP Congressman Matt Gaetz. But it was the third person who got the most laughs.
David Spade, a former actor/comedian and cast member, is the one who plays Hunter.
Spade is a true comic genius. His take on Hunter (a character who’s usually known to be brash, loud, and obnoxious) brings genuine laughter.
Carvey is also doing well in his 30 Rock guest spot, and he’s getting more leash in the sketches, beyond just Biden.
This might not be of interest to everyone, but I think it makes a nice bonus: What’s cool about this sketch is that both Carvey and Spade dropped veiled hints that the Church Lady might appear, during their “Fly on the Wall” podcast this week. (Warning: During the podcast (linked above), the duo delves into some adult topics/sometimes uses coarse language.)
They did, however, make a tone-deaf and unfunny comment about the President-elect Trump, which The Church Lady would say to the member of the woke cast who wrote it: “We like ourselves don’t you?”
Watch the complete sketch below.
Live From New York – It’s Saturday Night!
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