Paul Simon sang “The Boxer,” and New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani appeared alongside firefighters. When producer Lorne Michaels asked, “Can we be funny?”, Giuliani famously replied, “Why start now?” This exchange marked the return of Saturday Night Live (SNL) just 18 days after the September 2001 terrorist attacks. The show’s blend of satire, silliness, and live music was back on air, providing a sense of normalcy and resilience. “In bad times, people turn to the show,” Michaels reflected to Rolling Stone magazine two decades later.
Now, as SNL celebrates its 50th anniversary, it finds itself at another pivotal moment, not due to an external crisis but because of upheaval within late-night TV comedy itself. Recent developments in the genre have made it a barometer for the state of US democracy.
Challenges in Late-Night Television
Over the summer, CBS announced the cancellation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, citing financial reasons. However, Colbert’s status as a longtime critic of Donald Trump raised eyebrows, especially as CBS owner Paramount sought government approval for an $8 billion merger with Skydance. On September 17, ABC suspended Jimmy Kimmel’s show following his comments on the assassination of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk. This suspension occurred just hours after Federal Communications Commission chair Brendan Carr warned local broadcasters of potential fines or license losses for airing Kimmel.
The suspension sparked a significant outcry over freedom of speech, with ABC parent company Disney facing backlash from Kimmel’s fans. Many canceled their subscriptions to Disney+ and Hulu in protest. Kimmel returned to the air six days later, taking the opportunity to mock Trump: “He tried his best to cancel me and instead he forced millions of people to watch this show.”
The Spotlight on SNL
As the controversy surrounding CBS and ABC unfolds, attention now shifts to NBC and its flagship show, SNL. Returning on October 4, the episode will feature Bad Bunny as host and Doja Cat as the musical guest, with five new featured players joining the cast. However, the most anticipated moment will be the “cold open,” which will set the tone for how the show addresses the current political climate.
“This would be one of the biggest, most important cold openings in the 50-year history of the show,” asserts Stephen Farnsworth, co-author of Late Night With Trump: Political Humor and the American Presidency. “But in the past, when Saturday Night Live has faced a major challenge, like they did in the wake of 9/11, they’ve risen to the occasion.”
“Saturday Night Live will face charges that it isn’t going far enough or that it went too far pretty much no matter what they do, so there’s no reason not to be all in.” — Stephen Farnsworth
Farnsworth, director of the Center for Leadership and Media Studies at the University of Mary Washington, adds, “It’s striking that a man who desires the spotlight as much as the president does, who wants to be a public figure as badly as he has over the years, doesn’t understand that criticism is part of the package that comes with power.”
A Legacy of Political Satire
Since its launch a year after the Watergate scandal, SNL has been a staple of American television, known for its sketches and live musical performances. The show has also been a platform for political commentary, featuring politicians and parodying presidents, candidates, and other figures. Iconic portrayals include Gerald Ford by Chevy Chase, George H.W. Bush by Dana Carvey, and Donald Trump by Alec Baldwin, now succeeded by James Austin Johnson.
Susan Morrison, author of Lorne, a biography of Michaels, recalls, “When Alec Baldwin was doing him, Trump was furiously tweeting right about SNL: it wasn’t funny, FCC should investigate, Lorne was over. Watching Alec Baldwin do his thing, it almost felt like bear baiting.”
Politicians have also made appearances on SNL, from Al Gore and John McCain to Sarah Palin and even Trump himself, who hosted in 2004 and 2015. Hillary Clinton appeared alongside her impersonator, Kate McKinnon, and Kamala Harris participated before last year’s election.
Balancing Humor and Politics
The show recently won 12 Emmys for its 50th season and anniversary programming, including an award for outstanding variety special. The upcoming episode will be closely watched for how it navigates Trump’s attacks on comedy, free expression, and democracy.
Morrison continues, “Lorne and his very smart writers will come up with some clever but on-the-nose way of dealing with this. The thing that it’s important to remember about Lorne is he’s been doing this for so many decades. He’s outlasted so many slates of executives. He’s a survivor.”
“In the Game of Thrones of show business, Lorne would be the last man standing.” — Conan O’Brien, as quoted by Susan Morrison
Conservatives have long accused SNL of bias, arguing that the show disproportionately lampoons right-leaning figures while sparing Democrats. Former head writer Tina Fey acknowledged a “liberal bias” in a 2003 interview. However, Michaels insists on the show’s nonpartisan stance, willing to mock both sides.
David Litt, a former speechwriter for Barack Obama, recalls attending an SNL episode that parodied the Obamacare website crash. “I was working at the White House at the time and I remember thinking, I’m not having fun. Everyone else in the audience seemed to be having a better time than I was.”
Writing comedic material under time pressure is challenging, Litt notes, and this will be the SNL team’s top priority for the new season. “This is a show that rises to a pretty intense challenge every week,” he says. “That’s part of what infuriates Trump so much about comedians. It’s not that they’re making fun of him, it’s that the audience is laughing.”
The Future of SNL
SNL has already used one potential Trump gag in a cold open titled SNL for Trump, which aired after Trump’s election victory. The sketch satirized public figures and institutions that had shifted their stances to align with Trump for political or personal gain.
Bill Carter, author of The Late Shift and executive producer of the CNN docuseries The Story of Late Night, believes that the show must meet the expectations set by its legacy. “The gauntlet has been thrown now and, if they don’t do something, they will disappoint people. They have a very good Trump right now so they ought to use him.”
Trump has frequently criticized SNL, but Carter argues that the show’s strong ratings and demographics make it unlikely to face the same fate as Colbert or Kimmel. “Unlike those shows, Trump cannot say this has terrible ratings and does not make money,” Carter explains. “It’s 50 years that show’s been on. NBC is not walking away from that show.”
As SNL prepares to tackle the current political landscape, its ability to blend humor with insightful commentary will be tested once again. With its storied history and talented cast, the show remains a vital part of American culture, poised to navigate whatever challenges lie ahead.
