It's Time to End the Trump Cold Open on 'SNL'

Given the outrage I saw on social media yesterday, I am hardly the first or the last person to insist upon this, but it is well past time to end the Trump cold open that has dominated SNL for the better part of a decade.

SNL is a comedy sketch show, and it does not necessarily owe us political relevance. Granted, it is often at its best when it satirizes politics, but we live in an era where politics has become parody-proof. You cannot out parody the malicious and cruel actions of this Administration, and SNL’s attempts to do so soften political leaders like Donald Trump, Stephen Miller, and Kristi Noem into clowns and buffoons. Clowns and buffoons do not orchestrate inhumane mass deportation campaigns, rob Americans of their constitutional rights, or murder people on the streets. That is how dictators and fascists behave, and attempts to lampoon their actions strip them of their seriousness.

To see Donald Trump depicted as a narcissistic jackass who jokingly awards himself medals, plaques, and trophies on the same day that a man was executed by his secret police was about as tone deaf as I have ever seen SNL. The Administration may be a flaming clown car barreling through America, but that clown car is killing people, and a Mike Myers Elon Musk impression drains the gravity from the situation.

I am not suggesting that SNL owes us brilliant political discourse, either. There is value in escapism. Comedy is important when it says something, but it is also important when it provides a relief valve for our worries. Martin Herlihy sabotaging his relationships or even Teyana Taylor dancing in a bald cap can provide welcome respite from the horrors around us. But lighthearted Donald Trump impressions not only remind us of those horrors, but they also minimize them.

I will grant that the execution of Alex Pretti occurred on the day of taping, and that SNL probably already had its cold open locked in, but I would still take an overly earnest, last minute Kate McKinnon singing “Hallelujah” cold open over James Austin Johnson pouring salt on our wounds any day, not that this is JAJ’s fault.

A late-night comedy show is not obligated to meet the moment every week. But a 51 year old institution does have some obligation not to minimize it. Comedy is as important as it has ever been right now, but for the love of God, if SNL insists on engaging in political parody, do not bring a clown horn to a gunfight.