Kate McKinnon plays 'surprise bad---' Savannah Guthrie during this week's 'SNL' sketch about Trump town hall
- Kate McKinnon played Savannah Guthrie during this week's "Saturday Night Live" cold open, which recreated the presidential town halls.
- "I am surprise bad--- Savannah Guthrie and if you were angry at NBC for doing this town hall just let me get a few questions in and I think you'll thank me," McKinnon's Guthrie said.
- She then went on to challenge Baldwin's Trump on topics such as white supremacy, QAnon, and conspiracy theories.
- "You can't just do things like that," she said, referring to Trump's decision to retweet a baseless conspiracy theory about Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden's involvement in Osama bin Laden's death.
- She later told the faux Trump, "You're not just someone's crazy uncle."
Kate McKinnon aptly took on "Today" co-anchor Savannah Guthrie on this week's "Saturday Night Live" cold open, which recreated the recent presidential town halls.
The sketch alternated between Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden's town hall on ABC and President Donald Trump's town hall on rival network, NBC, or as the "SNL" writers put it, between a "Hallmark movie and an alien autopsy."
"Good evening, America, I am surprise bad--- Savannah Guthrie, and if you were angry at NBC for doing this town hall just let me get a few questions in and I think you'll thank me," McKinnon said in the sketch.
"Thank you, Serengeti," Trump, again embodied by Alec Baldwin, responded, botching the journalist's name. "It's great to be here. Even though ... woman."
On Thursday, Guthrie made headlines for challenging President Trump on a number of issues, including his behavior on Twitter, his handling of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, and sowing doubt in the upcoming presidential election.
In the cold open sketch, McKinnon's Guthrie snuck in a jab before asking questions: "We have lots of voters waiting to ask you questions, but I'd like to start by tearing you a new one."
She then asked the president why he refused to condemn white supremacy and QAnon, a baseless far-right conspiracy theory that claims President Trump is secretly fighting a "deep state" cabal of satanic pedophiles and cannibals.
"All I know is they're against pedophilia and I agree with that. If anyone is against pedophilia it's me, the man who was close personal friends with one of the most famous pedophiles on Earth. Rest in power, Jeffrey," Baldwin's Trump said in the sketch.
The statement was in reference to late disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who reportedly spent time with Trump in the past.
The heated conversation then turned to Trump's decision to retweet a baseless conspiracy theory about Biden's involvement in Osama bin Laden's death. Baldwin's Trump told the journalist that he didn't tweet the theory, instead he retweeted it, defining "retweet" as "short for really smart tweet."
"You can't just do things like that," McKinnon's Guthrie told him, mirroring what the actual journalist told Trump during the NBC town hall. "You're not just someone's crazy uncle."
Baldwin's Trump said their conversation was a mere "preview of Thanksgiving dinners" in American households.
"So crazy uncles, stand back and stand by," Baldwin said, repeating a similar statement that the real Trump made about the Proud Boys, a majority right-wing hate group, at the first presidential debate.
And though McKinnon's Guthrie eventually changed the subject to the timeline of the president's diagnosis with COVID-19, the disease resulting from the novel coronavirus, her questions went unanswered. She eventually resorted to taking on Baldwin's Trump in a "Wrestlemania" match, knocking him out with a folding chair.
While the president and the NBC anchor were facing off, the town hall hosted by ABC featured Biden, played again by Jim Carrey, who seemed much more calm. While the faux former vice president veered off-topic, he also transformed into Mr. Rogers, the beloved children's TV personality, and the late painter Bob Ross.
Season 46 of "SNL" premiered on October 3 with a live audience, putting safety precautions like rapid testing, mandatory masks, and social distancing in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
On Saturday night's episode, the crew was seen wiping down and disinfecting the set to keep the area sanitized.
Even though the state had released guidelines for media productions that prohibited live audiences unless they consisted "paid employees, cast, and crew," "SNL" has managed to maintain a live audience by paying the individuals that attend the show.
On this week's episode of "Saturday Night Live," Issa Rae served as the host while Justin Bieber performed, marking his second appearance this year.
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