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Toronto Sun
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Toronto Sun
Bill Maher rips 'SNL' writers for 'lying' about MAGA supporters
'I'm telling you, as a liberal, I don't like it,' he said Comedian Bill Maher took issue with "Saturday Night Live" writers for a sketch on the show's 50th anniversary special. Photo by Club Random Podcast / YouTube Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. Bill Maher accused Saturday Night Live writers of 'lying' to their audience during a sketch for the show's 50th anniversary special. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account The comedian and HBO host was perturbed by the actions of Tom Hanks' character — wearing a red Make America Great Again cap — who reprised his role as 'MAGA Doug' from the show's 2016 Black Jeopardy! skit. During the episode that aired Feb. 16, Hanks was introduced as a contestant alongside Leslie Jones as Shanice, Tracy Morgan as Darius and Eddie Murphy as Tracy Morgan. 'Speaking of church, can I say something?' Hanks asked. 'If more folks went to church, we wouldn't be in this mess we're in now.' Thompson, who played the role of game show host Darnell Hayes, agreed with Hanks and offered to shake his hand. 'Don't like that,' Hanks said as he backed away in fear. 'Whoa, whoa, whoa!' Thompson reassured Hanks that it was 'just a handshake' and they shook hands. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. During Maher's Club Random Podcast which aired Sunday, guest Jillian Michaels spoke about supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump and how they are still referred to as 'deplorables' nine years after Hillary Clinton made that disparaging remark about conservative voters. 'Listen, I've met Tom Hanks a couple of times, and he was very kind and very lovely, and his wife was exceptionally lovely,' the fitness trainer and nutritionist said. 'But when he was on Saturday Night Live ….' Maher interjected and said he agreed with Michaels. RECOMMENDED VIDEO 'I hated it, too, and I said it on my show,' Maher said. '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.'' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. While he has issues with some racist Trump supporters, Maher said painting all MAGA followers with the same brush 'is not helping.' 'I mean, of course, there's some racists everywhere who are that bad,' he said. 'But generally, all the MAGA people I know have no problem shaking hands with a Black person. You're just hysterical, and you're not helping. That was not helping.' Maher continued by ripping 'SNL' writers for what he called a 'zombie lie,' a claim that is disproven but continues to persist. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'But mostly what I hate is, it's what I call a zombie lie. Don't lie to me. It's a lie that MAGA people won't shake hands with — I get it, it's part of a skit, and it's an exaggeration, and that's comedy — it's a little too delicate a subject to just make, to go there for that one. Look, we all in comedy step over the line sometimes or do one that they want to take back.' However, he said the premise of the character offended him. 'But I'm telling you, as a liberal, I don't like it,' he said. 'Again, because lying offends me. I'm a comedian. When the premise isn't real, I can't go with — the joke is not gonna work. The premise has to ring true. That premise doesn't ring true. It might have rang true, I don't know, X years ago. It doesn't now.' 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Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Readers sound off on GOP fealty, government waste and congestion pricing's results
Laurelton: Since President Trump assumed power, I've watched him (just to name a few): pardon and release 263 violent felons who attacked the Capitol, resulting in many crippling injuries on innocents who tried to protect it and even claiming the lives of five police officers; terminate hard-working federal employees from their livelihoods without just cause; and completely dismantle USAID, which has not only medically cared for millions of sick and ailing people throughout the world but has protected and safeguarded our country from contracting diseases that sprouted in other lands and could have found their way here. These are only a few of the catastrophic decisions he has implemented that will gravely harm millions, if not billions, of innocent lives. But my umbrage doesn't come from this one man, but from the Republican senators and representatives who remain silent, and when questioned about their leader's behavior, either defend it or say nothing. On March 23, 1775, it was Founding Father Patrick Henry who said, 'Give me liberty or give me death.' Back then, our Continental Congress did just that, voting to stand up against England. Every one of them who signed our Declaration of Independence knew it could be declared an act of treason punishable by death. Today, according to author Todd Garlington, it is more than obvious that our Congress stands by his quote: Once, people said, 'Give me liberty or give me death.' Now they say, 'Make me a slave, just pay me enough.' Celestino P. Monclova White Plains, N.Y.: The Biden administration created hundreds of thousands of jobs in four years. Bone Spurs has eliminated tens of thousands of jobs and counting in just one month. I wonder how many workers who lost their jobs voted for this con man. Steve Howe Syosset, L.I.: From a Trumpster to other Trumpsters: You really need to lighten up about Tom Hanks' hilarious bit on 'Black Jeopardy!' on 'SNL.' Leave it to the left to get apoplectic about every sarcastic or otherwise humor-intended thing that's said about some identity, group or other collection of people. Whether you're on the right or left — c'mon, it's a joke! Drew Oringer Manhattan: I feel as though I've awakened in a junior high school classroom where the very lowest of the low, those in the remedial classes, have somehow managed to wrest control of student government. Their entire beings are now singularly focused on gleefully taking vengeance on the cool, smart, popular kids whom they furiously blame for their own deep-seated and crippling pathological insecurities. 'We're gonna show them!' they giggle girlishly. 'Shock and awe! High five!' I hate to break this to you, kids, but at the end of the day you are never going to be cool, smart or popular. You will forever remain incessantly aggrieved, criminal half-wits desperately searching for ways to feel better about yourselves, as your increasingly pronounced, bitter self-loathing continues to rule your lives. It's a lose/lose. Anne Stockton Bronx: Government employees are being fired through a non-government email address. That would mean that it is not official and they still have their jobs. Wasn't it Trump saying 'lock her up' for using non-official email addresses? W. Twirley Monroe, N.J.: Isn't it amazing that a man who has kept medical records, income documents, school records and tax returns under wraps is sending his co-president and his hoard of 'investigators' to have access to information on U.S. citizens? Will his information be included in this data collection as well? Will it finally be released? Katherine A. Moloney Brooklyn: Phantom Social Security numbers, government waste and federal employees not doing their jobs should be of concern to all Americans. Yet, when these same issues happen to be exposed by Elon Musk, the left and its media enablers blame the messenger: 'collusion, interference, invasion of privacy,' they say. Despite what one might think of DOGE, Musk's unveiling of massive government corruption and waste will lead to less spending by and more accountability for our government. The waste and corruption Joe Biden's White House engaged in, which would be criminal if someone in the private sector engaged in such acts, should not be left to stand. I don't care if Musk is cozying up to Trump or if his cryptocurrency has access to government data. I care about the message: Our government should do only good, every day. Howard Jay Meyer Whiting, N.J.: Voicer John O'Hara asks us to 'consider the role Jack Smith played' in the last election, referencing the focus on the (lack of) prosecution of Mayor Adams. Answer: not much of one, based on whose large derrière is sitting behind the Resolute desk. Bill McConnell Brooklyn: Is anyone surprised that Adams is contemplating running for mayor as a Republican? I think we all know that was part of his deal with Demon Spawn Donny and real President Muskrat. Adams is a traitor to all New Yorkers! It was quite obvious that he was bucking for the favor of a pardon from his new BFF, Trump. Corrupt loves corrupt! His self-interests are what have always driven him, no matter how much he has preached his love and concern for NYC and our residents. But watch out, Eric! Once you lose the election, Donny Boy will have no use for you here. However, I'm sure he will find a place for you in his cult — I mean administration. You will fit right in! Susan Cassano Manhattan: I think it would be absolutely marvelous if we, as native New Yorkers, could somehow convince NASA that Gov. Hochul and Mayor Adams would both make ideal candidates for possible future human settlement on the planet Mars. Their input would be beyond reproach and set a standard for all future interplanetary endeavors and research by members of the human race. Patrick O'Neill Linden, N.J.: To Biden, in the words of Leslie Bricusse: 'Thank you very much / Thank you very much / That's the nicest thing that anyone's ever done for me / The future looks alright / In fact, it looks so bright / I feel as if they're polishing the sun for me / And if I had a cannon, I would fire it / To add a sort of celebration touch / But since I left my cannon at home / I'll simply have to say / Thank you very, very, very much.' Phil Caniphile Forest Hills: To Voicer Peter McCarthy: I respectfully ask this question since you mentioned this point in your letter: 'We don't live in a democracy! We live in a republic.' So, what rights don't I have under a republic that I and others think we have under a democracy? I thank you in advance for your reply. Also, the Pledge of Allegiance is a pledge, not a history lesson. Carol Miles Staten Island: I agree with Voicer Charlene Black: What a great Voice of the People in Saturday's paper. I was very impressed with the young people's opinions. They made a lot more sense than some adults who write in. Charlene was right, this should be done more often. Maybe a once-a-month feature? Lynn Fodor Manhattan: I live below 60th St. I haven't seen a significant reduction in weekday traffic but there is much less on the weekends. A friend who drove with his family from Westchester to SoHo every Sunday for brunch, shopping and dinner now says there are many fine restaurants and shops north of 60th St. He no longer works full-time at his downtown office, opting for more remote work. The $9 toll adds up to hundreds of dollars a month, which is several thousand a year for many. As a Central Business District resident, there is an additional cost. The tuna salad sandwich that cost $6 in January is now $9. While the wholesaler's delivery cost might have gone up 10%, they charge the retailer an additional 15%. The retailer then increases the price to the consumer 20% to 30%. Local businesses all see congestion pricing as an excuse to justify more profit. Vincent Novak
USA Today
19-02-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
MAGA folks' maniacal reaction to Tom Hanks proves they are his 'SNL' character
The most zealous supporters of President Donald Trump practically broke the internet with maniacal rants protesting actor Tom Hanks' comic portrayal of a guy named 'Doug' wearing a Make America Great Again (MAGA) hat during the 50th anniversary show of 'Saturday Night Live.' Strangely (or maybe not), these same people did not go nuts or flood the internet with protests when Trump and co-President Elon Musk fired several hundred Federal Aviation Administration employees, many with training in FAA radar, landing and navigational aid maintenance, at a time when airplane safety is a growing concern. But watching Hanks speak with a Southern accent in a skit about 'Black Jeopardy!' really, really irked them. Unlike when Trump and Musk laid off vital employees of the Veterans Health Administration, which U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., called 'attempting to balance the budget on the backs of veterans.' That didn't trouble them in the least. Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle. Opinion:Trump abdicated power to Musk. And now a 25-year-old may get access to your tax return. Tom Hanks makes MAGA furious, but not this Not like Hanks cutting it up with "SNL" cast member Kenan Thompson, which made them absolutely furious. Then again, these same MAGA faithful expressed no outrage whatsoever when Musk tried to give his bro gang of hackers access to Americans' most private financial information, including Social Security benefits, VA benefits and much more. But they went positively ballistic over Hanks reprising a role in a sketch first performed nine years ago. Not a peep from them, on the other hand, when hundreds of employees at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health were let go. All of which puts Americans at risk. Opinion:Musk is the little devil on Trump's shoulder daring him to break the law MAGA Republicans are completely unbothered by Elon Musk Hanks backing away from a Black man's handshake during a comedy TV sketch, though, had them foaming at the mouth. Yet when Trump gave enormous power to Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, an unofficial government agency with no congressional approval, they didn't blink. But Hanks wearing a denim jacket over an American eagle T-shirt. Terrible! Outrageous! It didn't bother them at all, however, when Musk – a self-proclaimed champion of free speech – said, ''60 Minutes' are the biggest liars in the world! They deserve a long prison sentence.' Maybe MAGA is worse than that 'SNL' character Musk was upset about a segment the program did on killing the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), which provides disaster relief to impoverished countries, particularly those working on democratic reforms. During the program, it was said about Musk: 'The world's richest man cut off aid for the world's poorest people.' The fact that MAGA is angrier and more upset at Hanks than they are with the world's richest man cutting off aid to the world's poorest people might prove that Trump supporters outraged by Hanks' MAGA portrayal could have a point. It could be they're not exactly versions of the Hanks character. It could be they're worse. EJ Montini is a columnist at the Arizona Republic, where this column originally appeared. Reach Montini at
Yahoo
18-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
MAGA Couldn't Handle Tom Hanks Playing a Racist Trumper on ‘SNL'
Saturday Night Live celebrated its 50th anniversary over the weekend, and while it's more or less impossible to mount a three-and-a-half-hour variety show that pleases everyone, a single joke in this marathon running time has deeply upset thin-skinned Trump voters. Back in 2016, before Donald Trump was first elected president, SNL aired an installment of their long-running 'Black Jeopardy!' series, in which Kenan Thompson presents a skewed version of the quiz show with more colloquial questions and irreverent answers — and non-Black contestants find themselves at a certain disadvantage. But this wasn't the case for Doug, a MAGA-hatted character played by host Tom Hanks, who despite his background ended up being a big winner on the show. The sketch is one of the most-watched SNL videos on YouTube, with nearly 84 million views. For SNL50, 'Black Jeopardy!' brought in Leslie Jones, Tracy Morgan, Eddie Murphy, and Chris Rock — a stacked ensemble any way you slice it. But with Trump now back in office for a second term, it must have felt appropriate to bring fan-favorite Doug into the mix once again. Hanks showed up in his MAGA hat toward the end of the sketch, and, true to form, took control of the board. He then offered the opinion that more people should go to church. Thompson's character readily agreed and went to shake Doug's hand, only to have the Trumper physically recoil as if afraid for his life. The gag didn't get much of a reaction from the studio audience, and it certainly didn't recall Doug's original appearance, in which he gets along surprisingly well with everyone else on 'Black Jeopardy!' For the average viewer, it could have been dismissed as a simple misfire in an overstuffed show that was bound to have its share of underwhelming moments. For actual MAGA diehards, it was nothing short of an outrage. 'Tom Hanks in a MAGA hat, horrified at the idea of shaking a black man's hand, tells you everything you need to know about what the left has learned since November and why they will thankfully continue to lose landslide election after landslide election for the foreseeable future,' wrote an incensed user on X who shared the clip, racking up more than 4 million views on the platform. Right-wing podcaster Benny Johnson echoed this sentiment, writing, 'Donald Trump just won a landslide election and has never been more popular with Americans. They have learned nothing.' Jeannette Garcia, a member of the Avondale, Arizona, city council, shared a selfie on X in which she wore a MAGA hat, and baselessly smeared Hanks as a pedophile. She added: 'Not ALL #MAGA hat wearing patriots are white. In fact, most racism comes from the elite Democrats, you a** hole.' The post was quoted by site owner Elon Musk, who captioned it with a pair of fire emojis. Another X user went viral with a video in which he does his own 'impression' of a MAGA voter, donning the hat and holding up a piece of paper that reads 'TOM HANKS IS A PEDOPHILE.' Unfounded accusations that Hanks has committed sex crimes are nothing new for far-right conspiracy theorists, who routinely suggest without evidence that Hollywood A-listers and prominent Democrats belong to a vast sex-trafficking cabal. Fury over the 'Black Jeopardy!' taunt saw Trump's most prolific social media soldiers recycling those claims. 'Is Tom Hanks on the Epstein List?' asked one major MAGA personality on X, in a post that has been viewed more a million times and tallied 40,000 likes. (Hanks has never been linked to Jeffrey Epstein, though Trump's relationship with the deceased sex trafficker is well documented.) Musk, who has claimed that Epstein accomplice and convicted sex offender Ghislaine Maxwell 'photobombed' him in a notorious picture of the pair together, has previously amplified memes suggesting a connection between Hanks and Epstein. QAnon promoter Dom Lucre, whose X account was reinstated by Musk after he was suspended for posting child sexual abuse material, also condemned Hanks, asserting that he 'just disrespected every Republican on SNL.' But this cheap indignation seems unlikely to last amid the sheer chaos of the second Trump administration, which has seen thousands of federal employees — including many who voted for him — sacked by Musk's so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), while top government agency officials continue to quit in protest of its takeover. Trump himself, never shy about attacking his, critics, SNL, or celebrities opposed to his politics, didn't even bother to address the dig at his supporters. More from Rolling Stone Lady Gaga Will Celebrate 'Mayhem' With 'Saturday Night Live' Double Duty Lorne Michaels Helped Keith Richards Dodge Life in Prison Domingo Makes a Big Return on 'SNL50' With Sabrina Carpenter, Pedro Pascal, Bad Bunny, More Best of Rolling Stone The Useful Idiots New Guide to the Most Stoned Moments of the 2020 Presidential Campaign Anatomy of a Fake News Scandal The Radical Crusade of Mike Pence
Yahoo
18-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘SNL' Alum Trashes Tom Hanks' ‘Stupid' MAGA Sketch
The MAGA meltdown after Tom Hanks played a racist Trump fan on Saturday Night Live's 50th anniversary show now includes a former member of the show's cast. Victoria Jackson, a Trump supporter who appeared on the show between 1986-1992, told TMZ the sketch was 'stupid' and that she was offended by the show's sexual jokes. Jackson, who walked the red carpet ahead of the weekend's anniversary show, also asked: 'Did anyone make fun of the Kamala supporters?' She said a post on X by Link Lauren—a former campaign aide to Robert F. Kennedy Jr.—captured her feelings about the show. 'This show wonders why their ratings are in the gutter. Trump won the popular vote. This tired trope that MAGA is racist is disgusting,' Lauren's post said. Conservatives lashed out after Hanks' appearance on Saturday Night Live's popular Black Jeopardy! sketch which first appeared in 2014, with the premise of asking questions that are favorable to the Black community. The sketch—which begins with Eddie Murphy playing Tracy Morgan saying he refuses to eat three cheese lasagna because he is rich enough to eat four cheeses—features a reappearance of Hank's Trump-supporting character Doug. Wearing a goatee, a red MAGA cap and a t-shirt with a bird of prey print, Doug initially recoils but then relents when show host Darnell, played by Kenan Thompson, approaches him to shake his hand. Doug also invites Darnell on his own show, White Jeopardy! 'We don't need it,' Darnell replies. The MAGAland reaction to the sketch was swift and vicious. 'Donald Trump just won a landslide election and has never been more popular with Americans,' conservative commentator Benny Johnson claimed. 'They have learned nothing.' The Libs of TikTok X account posted a similar take in response to the sketch, adding: 'This propaganda is dumb and isn't funny.' Other users on the platform agreed while one Trump fan claimed it's not 'surprising no one watches SNL or NBC anymore,' calling the sketch a 'desperate attempt to cope with Democrats crushing defeat in November.' The reaction from Victoria Jackson is perhaps unsurprising given her political background and views. Jackson joined one of the first Tea Party rallies in Los Angeles in 2009 and quickly became a self-described 'conservative journalist' known for attacking perceived socialists, according to a 2012 profile in the River Front Times. More recently, she described herself as a 'big Trump supporter' during an interview with the president's daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, in January 2024. 'I love Trump so much,' Jackson said at the time. 'He's the best president we've ever had.'
