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Since Lorne Michaels created Saturday Night Live, a show whose stars and characters have become a touchstone for all Americans, regardless of politics, because “the prime-time players aren’t ready.” 50 years have passed. But this weekend, Michaels decided to flush it all down the toilet.
On Saturday night, Vice President Kamala Harris made a surprise appearance at the Birthplace of the Virgin Mary with Ed Grimley in a raunchy skit, another blatant violation of Federal Communications Commission election rules.
Isn’t it special now?
FCC commissioner slams NBC over Harris’ last-minute SNL appearance: ‘Clearly designed to circumvent rules’
Back on Oct. 1, Michaels told The Hollywood Reporter that neither Harris nor her opponent, Donald Trump, would appear on the show, which Jon Lovitz said was “oh, that’s the ticket.” His honesty came through.
Suddenly, with three days until the election, Michaels decided to turn his comedy show, one of the few things all Americans still have in common, into a serious weapon for the Harris campaign.
Live broadcast from New York…Democratic Party propaganda!
I would like to know exactly how this happened. Did Michaels have a change of heart and reach out to Harris? Or, as seems more likely, did the panicked Harris camp beg her to be a star on their weekly broadcasts?
Just like Kamala Harris, who was invited by Cardinal Timothy Dolan to attend Al Smith’s banquet, she was too busy with her schedule to feel like attending. Suddenly, 72 hours before the election, she canceled a rally in Michigan and appeared live at Father Guido Sarducci’s home?
Live broadcast from New York…Democratic Party propaganda!
Michaels breaks some real serious credibility here, which is part of what makes comedy as social commentary. Fairness and the idea that all sides are open to ridicule is something SNL has often strived for. Such a blatant display of partisanship destroys it.
This is why woke comedy doesn’t work. Instead of a sharp and honest skewering of society, it’s a laundry list of pseudo-religious assholes dressed in seedy cartoon costumes.
The audience isn’t laughing at the jokes, they’re laughing at the stupidity of those who disagree.
It’s also worth noting that SNL has produced some of Hollywood’s most prominent conservatives, including Dennis Miller, Rob Schneider, and Victoria Jackson.
Lorne Michaels created “Saturday Night Live” 50 years ago, but it was never supposed to be a big moneymaker for Democrats, writes David Marcus. (Rosalind O’Connor/NBCU Photobank/NBCUniversal, via Getty Images, via Getty Images)
Comedians lean to the right because, unlike actors, screenwriters, and directors, they don’t learn their craft at universities or conservatories with progressive worldviews. They just sign up for the club, and if people laugh, they’ll be asked again.
Comedians also need to be free to walk the line of decency in their work and challenge what the left says should not be challenged. This is why Dave Chappelle goes crazy every six months.
In this sense, Michaels not only did the worst damage to his viewers since he took Norm MacDonald off his Weekend Update segment, but also to his own performers who decided to star in super-expensive political ads. would also have caused damage.
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In the wake of the FCC violation, NBC gave Trump equal time during its NASCAR and NFL broadcasts, but who at the network gave the green light to this mess in the first place? No wonder whoever it was was sleeping in a van by the river.
If there’s a silver lining to Michaels’ deception, it’s that Harris’ skit was terrible. Every time she looked in the mirror, all I thought about was what Stuart Smalley said. “I’m good enough, I’m smart enough, and stubborn enough, there are others just like me.”
Actor Maya Rudolph and Vice President Kamala Harris appear on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” in New York City on November 2, 2024. (Gina Moon/Getty Images)
Michaels really should apologize to his viewers and cast members for his foolish decision to hand over the show to Harris, or for his cowardly acquiescence to their unreasonable and illegal demands.
Either way, he never looks great.
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If there’s ever a time when Americans need a break from the constant drumbeat of partisan politics, ads, and billboards, it’s three days before the election, but Michaels didn’t care about that, trying to elect Harris. That was more important.
Michaels may have thought he was elevating Harris like Hanz and Franz, but in reality all he did was tarnish the reputation of the show. As Wayne and Garth would say, “He’s not worthy,” at least in this case.
Click here to read more about David Marcus
