Bill Maher criticizes SNL writers for portrayal of Trump supporters
Bill Maher believes a Saturday Night Live sketch starring Tom Hanks was an example of out-of-touch, liberal writers telling a 'zombie lie' about Donald Trump's supporters. The comic, who often critiques both sides of the aisle on his weekly HBO show, took to his podcast with Jillian Michaels to slam a bit that aired during SNL's 50th anniversary special in February.
Hanks made a return in the show as Doug, a clueless rube who dons a Make America Great Again hat and performs surprisingly well on a mock game show called Black Jeopardy. Hanks first appeared as Doug on Black Jeopardy! in 2016 in an effort to depict both the differences and similarities between Trump voters and black culture. However, Maher joined the countless others who took offense at the show's portrayal of a MAGA voter, after Michaels said that while Hanks is 'lovely' in person, the sketch crossed a line.
'I hated it too, and I said it on my show. I know. I hated it. Wearing the MAGA hat, not shaking hands with a Black person. And that's when I thought, 'You people don't know MAGA people,' Maher said. 'I mean, they have their issues and I certainly have my issues with them, but they're general - I mean, of course, there's some racists everywhere who are that bad, but generally, all the MAGA people I know have no problem shaking hands with a Black person.' He described the writers of the sketch as 'hysterical' and 'not helping' their left-leaning causes and accused them of spreading a 'zombie lie,' or passing off old, outdated conventional wisdom as the truth. 'It's a lie that MAGA people won't shake hands with - I get it, it's part of a skit, and it's exaggeration, and that's comedy. It's a little too delicate a subject to just make - to go there for that one,' Maher said.
He added that, while sometimes, comedians will make a joke that they regret, the writers of the sketch likely have no issue with what they said. 'You know, look, we all in comedy step over the line sometimes or do one that they want to take back. I doubt if they want to take that one back. I think they probably think it's great,' he told Michaels. He was also offended because, 'as a liberal,' Maher believes that the premise to a joke has to have some sort of truth. 'It might have rang true, I don't know, X years ago. It doesn't now. So, you know - but that's where we are. Everybody has to just play the hate card, because that's what gets clicks. That's what gets you loved by your side,' he added.
Hanks' character was brought back for the 50th anniversary of the NBC staple , which included comedy sketches from A-listers and SNL alums including Eddie Murphy , Kristen Wiig, Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, Bill Murray, David Spade and Jon Lovitz. But, as MAGA fans pointed out, President Trump has since won over a diverse electorate and secured the popular vote - turning Doug into an outdated stereotype. In the new version of the sketch, Doug vehemently refused to shake hands with host Darnell Hayes played by Kenan Thompson.
Afterward, Trump fans blasted SNL and the 'Forrest Gump' star for what they viewed as an unfair portrayal. Former Robert F. Kennedy Jr. aide Link Lauren called the character 'disgusting' and accused SNL of pushing a tired, divisive narrative. 'This show wonders why their ratings are in the gutter,' he wrote. 'Trump won the popular vote. This tired trope that MAGA is racist is disgusting. SNL is an unfunny show for snobbish liberal elites.' His sentiments were echoed by other Trump supporters who flooded social media with criticism of the sketch. Right-wing influencer Dominick McGee took direct aim at Hanks, accusing him of 'just disrespecting every Republican on SNL as he was dressed up as a Trump supporter with a MAGA hat.'
Another critic pointed out what they saw as an awkward silence during the sketch, writing, 'No one in the audience laughs as Tom Hanks appears on SNL as a racist Trump supporter that refuses to shake hands with a Black man.' Trump supporters also used the moment to highlight what they claim is SNL's declining viewership . One Trump fan account wrote, 'Tom Hanks and SNL thought it would be hilarious for him to put on a MAGA hat and act out a stereotype of half the country in a desperate attempt to cope with Democrats' crushing defeat in November. Not surprising no one watches SNL or NBC anymore.'
During the rest of the three-and-a-half hour broadcast - featuring everyone from Cher to Bad Bunny , Adam Sandler and Scarlett Johansson - the star-studded cast could not help but take cheap shots at Trump. In another sketch that poked fun at 50 years of drastic changes in New York City , the cast performed a parody of famous show tune I Dreamed a Dream from Les Miserables. 'I dreamed a dream that King Kong died, then I remembered he's in Florida,' sung one cast member, in a thinly veiled swipe at the president who left Manhattan after his first term. The special celebrating 50 years on air poked fun at the Trump administration throughout.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
43 minutes ago
- BBC News
Aukus: US to review submarine pact as part of 'America First' agenda
The US has launched a review of its multi-billion dollar submarine deal with the UK and Australia, saying the security pact must fit its "America First" the trilateral pact, widely seen as a response to the growing power of China, Australia is to get its first nuclear-powered subs from the US, before the allies create a new fleet by sharing cutting-edge Australia and the UK - which did its own review last year - have sought to play down news of the US probe, saying it is natural for a new administration to move comes as Australia faces pressure from the White House to lift its military spending, from 2% to 3.5% of GDP, a push so far resisted by Canberra. The agreement - worth £176bn ($239bn; A$368bn) - was signed in 2021, when all three countries involved had different leaders."The department is reviewing Aukus as part of ensuring that this initiative of the previous administration is aligned with the President's America First agenda," a US defence official told the BBC."As [US Defense] Secretary [Pete] Hegseth has made clear, this means ensuring the highest readiness of our servicemembers, that allies step up fully to do their part for collective defense, and that the defense industrial base is meeting our needs."The review will be headed up Elbridge Colby, who has previously been critical of Aukus, in a speech last year questioning why the US would give away "this crown jewel asset when we most need it".Defence Minister Richard Marles, speaking to local Australian media on Thursday morning local time, said he was optimistic the deal would continue. "I'm very confident this is going to happen," he told ABC Radio Melbourne."You just need to look at the map to understand that Australia absolutely needs to have a long-range submarine capability."Some in Australia have been lobbying for the country to develop a more independent defence strategy, but Marles said it was important to "stick to a plan" - a reference to the previous government's controversial cancellation of a submarine deal with France in favour of Australian government spokesperson told the BBC it was "natural" that the new administration would "examine" the agreement, adding the UK had also recently finished a review of the security pact between the long-standing allies. There is "clear and consistent" support for the deal across the "full political spectrum" in the US, they said, adding Australia looked forward to "continuing our close cooperation with the Trump Administration on this historic project".A UK defence spokesperson told the BBC it was "understandable" for a new administration to look at the deal, "just as the UK did last year". Aukus is a "landmark security and defence partnership with two of our closest allies", the spokesperson said, and "one of the most strategically important partnerships in decades, supporting peace and security in the Indo-Pacific and Euro-Atlantic".
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
How to wear five of this summer's hottest Gen Z fashion trends - when you're over 50: DINAH VAN TULLEKEN
From jelly shoes to Bermuda shorts, you may remember wearing many of this summer's trends the first time they were cool. But being older and wiser doesn't mean you have to let the 20-somethings, with their ironic attachments to kitsch from the 80s and 90s, have all the fun. With the right styling you can embrace these pieces, give your wardrobe a modern edge and prove that fashion doesn't have an age lim14802753it. Here's how to wear five of summer's boldest looks with elegance and ease...
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Trump claims rare earths deal 'done' with China
When Trump announced sweeping tariffs on imports from a number of countries earlier this year, China was the hardest hit. China responded with its own higher rates on US imports, triggering further tit-for-tat increases. In May, talks held in Switzerland led to a temporary truce that Trump called a "total reset". It brought Trump's new US tariffs on Chinese products down from 145% to 30%, while Beijing slashed levies on US imports to 10% and promised to lift barriers on critical mineral exports. It gave both sides a 90-day deadline to try to reach a trade deal. But the US and China subsequently claimed breaches on non-tariff pledges. In his social media post, Trump said the US would have tariffs on Chinese goods of 55%, but officials said the figure included tariffs put in place during his first term. Markets showed little response to the deal, which Terry Haines, founder of the Washington-based consultancy Pangaea Policy, described as having both "very limited scope and unfinished status". "Setting the Geneva 'pause' back on track is the smallest of accomplishments, and doesn't suggest that a broad US-China trade deal or geopolitical rapprochement is any closer in the foreseeable future," he wrote.
