- Sen. Katie Britt addressed Scarlett Johansson's portrayal of her on "Saturday Night Live."
- "I mean, how awesome is that?" said Britt.
Sen. Katie Britt has faced an avalanche of ridicule for her response to President Joe Biden's State of the Union — but she's taking it in stride.
In an appearance on fellow Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas's "Verdict" podcast, the Alabama senator said being portrayed by Scarlett Johansson on "Saturday Night Live" wasn't on her "bingo card" for 2024.
"I mean, how awesome is that?" said Britt with a laugh.
"Look — Scarlett Johansson is hot," said Cruz, noting that he's "genuinely jealous" of Britt for being portrayed by Johannson. Cruz has sometimes been portrayed by Aidy Bryant — a woman — including after his ill-advised trip to Cancun in 2021.
"At least you are played by a woman," Cruz later said. "When 'SNL' has had me, I've also been played by a woman."
Britt said on the podcast that she was "actually was pretty pumped" by Johansson's portrayal.
"Look, it could be worse," Britt recalled telling her children. "I mean, Scarlett Johansson. Here you have Black Widow, they bring in someone from Avengers to play me in the cold open. I'm here for it."
Britt spoke more about being recruited to give the response, saying she almost told Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell that she was "shook" when he called her to ask her to do it.
"I didn't think that 'shook' would translate in the moment," said Britt, who's 42. "You know, it's like, not necessarily I would think something that is in Mitch McConnell's everyday vocabulary."
"Mitch is literally double Katie's age," said Cruz, referring to the 82-year-old McConnell.
Britt also said that House Speaker Mike Johnson urged her not to worry about how the speech went.
"He's like, it'll be fine," said Britt. "The irony, that he's like, 'Don't you worry.'"