Photo via: Anthony Quintano/Public domain/Wikimedia Commons
For 50 years, Saturday Night Live (SNL) has been a pioneer in the world of sketch comedy. On Feb. 16, the show was live for over three hours, celebrating its 50th anniversary special. Over these years, one thing SNL has proven it is not afraid to do is get political. From featuring guests on the campaign trail to satire political sketches, SNL has certainly made its mark on politics.
SNL has never been one to shy away from poking fun at the current political state of the US. The first president to bear the brunt of this was Gerald Ford, who had a few hiccups parodied by the show. Although Ford was a college athlete, a video of him stumbling down the stairs to an airplane led to several skits depicting him as very clumsy. Ford’s presidency was already condemned by the public after his pardoning of Nixon, and Chevy Chase’s impression of him as a “bumbling, stumbling fool” didn’t help his cause.
However, Chase’s impression caught the eyes of Press Secretary Ron Nessen, who hosted the show in 1976. At the end of Nessen’s monologue, the cameras cut to Ford in the oval office to say the show’s iconic line, “Live from New York, It’s Saturday Night!” Nessen said he hosted the show because he wanted to prove that “this administration has a sense of humor.”
After Ford, it became a tradition to have skits about the president on the show. Dan Akyroyd was notorious for portraying Jimmy Carter. One of the show’s most popular skits had Akyroyd answer questions alongside Bill Murray portraying Walter Cronkite. Phil Hartman’s portrayal of Ronald Reagan in 1986 also caught a lot of attention, even that of Reagan’s son. Ron Reagan Jr. hosted his own episode later the same year.
In 2002, John McCain became the first sitting senator to host. McCain appeared again in 2008 during his presidential campaign. His appearance was well received, and The Washington Post said his “sense of humor really shined through.”
Although McCain was the presidential candidate at the time, his running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin was often the target of jokes during their campaign. One popular skit had Tina Fey playing Palin, dramatizing events from a real interview between Palin and journalist Katie Couric. Palin eventually appeared as herself on the show, bringing in the show’s highest ratings in almost a decade and a half.
Barack Obama made one appearance on the SNL stage as a guest at a Halloween party hosted by Bill Clinton (played by Darrell Hammond). The episode Obama appeared in was supposed to feature a controversial sketch about racial profiling on airplanes. Obama turned down the idea, saying “It’s funny, but no, I don’t think so.”
Two of the most memorable stars to play political figures are Alec Baldwin as Donald Trump and Kate McKinnon as Hillary Clinton during the 2016 election. The duo starred in many skits, from debate parodies to comedic games of family feud. Both of their performances were often applauded by viewers. An article from The New Yorker credits McKinnon saying, “her resting Hillary is so spot-on.”
Although Bill Clinton never appeared on the show, Hillary Clinton was on SNL during her 2016 campaign. Unlike most other political figures who guest starred, she did not play herself. Rather, Kate McKinnon played her while she took on the role of Val the Bartender. Time Magazine applauded her performance and said it showed her as “the very role that her campaign has sought for months to cast her as: a real person.”
Donald Trump was one of few Presidential candidates to host the show rather than making a single appearance. In 2015 he took the stage alongside Larry David as Bernie Sanders and Kate McKinnon as Hillary Clinton. The New York Times criticized his episode heavily, not for Trump’s performance but rather for the poorly written jokes he was given.
Some cast members of the show have even stepped off stage and into the world of politics themselves. Recurring cast member Cecily Strong spoke at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner in 2015, and her comedic background was apparent during her speech.
Most recently, Kamala Harris was featured on SNL’s show right before the 2024 election. She stood alongside Maya Rudolph, who played her throughout the show’s 50th season. The season featured sketches of several important events during the election, such as the vice-presidential debate and Trump and Harris rallies. Several current and former cast members took on well-received political roles this season, such as Andy Samberg as Doug Emhoff and Bowen Yang as J.D. Vance.
This monumental season for SNL is certainly not going to be the show’s last time diving into the realm of politics. As long as the show is running, politicians will appear on air to prove that they can take a joke.
