Since I was in bed by 10:30 on a Saturday night – because I’m awesome – I had to watch the SNL season opening through clips online this morning. Margot Robbie was the season opening, but most people were excited to see what SNL would do with their political coverage. Last week, SNL released a promo of Alec Baldwin going into hair & makeup to become Donald Trump, and of course Kate McKinnon is still sticking with her manic, hilarious Hillary Clinton impression. So SNL gave people what they wanted: a cold open debate skit. Here you go:
I thought this was funny, but not rolling on the floor laughter. Much like SNL’s 2008 skits involving Sarah Palin, the writers are pulling a lot of lines from the actual candidates, which brings a strange surrealism that’s almost scary. Alec Baldwin’s Trump is on point and it’s definitely one of the better Trump impersonations I’ve seen. I loved: “I think I’m going to be president” and “She is a strong, beautiful political prop who I almost forgot to mention tonight” and “They took my microphone to Kenya and broke it and now it’s broken.”
The other big political skit was the Family Feud skit, where they finally brought back the impeccable Daryl Hammond as Bill Clinton, plus Larry David as Bernie Sanders. Robbie played Ivanka Trump really well. Kate McKinnon played Trump’s campaign manager Kellyanne Conway really well too.
Photos courtesy of SNL screencaps.
Alec was AMAZING. I haven’t laughed that hard at an SNL skit in a very long time. Give him awards for that!
Agreed! The last time I laughed this hard was years ago when he did his “Schwetty Balls” routine. This is comedy gold.
He was great. We were laughing pretty hard apparently. My eleven year old just told me we woke her up with our laughter.
He was perfect. I love how he said he won and tried to leave after 2 minutes. I also thought the “My microphone’s broken” lines were the most hysterical.
McKinnon really has got Clinton’s voice down pat, it’s eerie. Her little shoulder shimmy was on point, too.
He nailed it, right down to the white under eye concealer. I loved that bit – I won! – then he’s told there’s 88 more minutes lol.
I wouldn’t want to be married to AB or anything, but he is undeniably talented; I have so many good memories of 30 Rock.
He was brilliant as Drumpf.
I think he’s a nutter but he is comedy gold in 30 Rock. I use to love him ( most too young to remember) Knott’s Landing LOL and when he did SNL the Butabi Brothers, What is Love?
My hate runs deep for Alec Baldwin but he did an amazing job. Kudos to you a-hole!
@ MC2 : my exact thoughts!
Glorious!!!! I did not find the skit particularly funny, but Alec as Trump is everything
I was very concerned for his face muscles! It was all dead on, but some of the ways he was contorting his face is only natural for Trump. 🙂
‘Jine A, Yuge Jine A’ is everything. May the meme gods bless us!
Love baldwin,
They nailed it!!! Even got in a dig at Trump’s butthole mouth.
The butthole mouth WAS the funniest part.
Loved that!! 😂
Perfection. I’ve never laughed so hard. Best SNL in YEARS.
And Trump’s penchant for projection – he keeps accusing Hillary if things he has actually done himself or is currently doing.
Alec was pretty good with his impersonation of the human dorito. What I find really funny is that the skit was almost identical to the actual debate. It was brilliant work by SNL.
He nailed Cheeto Benito, even down the white patches under his eyes.
Right?!? It was like Tina Fey with Palin – for the most part, it was quoted word-for-word!
Comic gold! Loved it!
What do you think about that?
I think I’m gonna be President.
PRUNE JUICE!
Alec was great, got the lipcurl right!
Baldwin is a jerk as a person, but, he’s one of the funniest, most talented people. He and Darrelll Hammond are two of the best impersonators.
Love McKinnon.
p.s. I love Jack Donaghy
Your comment accurately describes how I feel about Alec too.
And I want a Jack Donaghy gold star.
Vice President of East Coast Television and Microwave Oven Programming
I can’t even tell you how funny and on point that is, to me. TV (and film) in a nutshell.
30 Rock and Arrested Development are two shows that I can watch over and over again and always find something new to laugh at. He was brilliant as Jack Donaghy and now Trump. I want to not like him, but my God the man has a talent for comedy!
Agreed – not the greatest guy by far, but he is one helluva comedic actor. He was brilliant on 30 Rock, and his Trump far exceeded my expectations.
It would be funnier if it weren’t real. As it is, I can’t appreciate the good impression because it makes me want to go rock in a corner at the risk of him being elected.
Exactly, Morgan. Me too. It was keen political satire beautifully done, but as I watched I kept thinking, “Holy shit, this isn’t some farfetched political comedy skit — those were Trump’s actual words during the debate!” How did it ever get to this point? How can this ridiculous, greedy, vulgar, lying bigot be a step away from the White House? How can he possibly be considered a serious contender to be Leader of the Free World?
I feel like that too. I mean, I laughed (Baldwin and McKinnon were dynamite) but knowing the reality of Trump cast a dark, seriously unfunny shadow over it. There’s nothing funny about how America at large has allowed Trump to happen and no amount of satire, no matter how good it is, can excuse or explain that.
Best comment ever.
That’s how I felt about the debate. My parents told me they got popcorn to watch it-because they knew she’d kill it and it would be so entertaining. My feeling is-I’ll go back and laugh mid-November. Until then-I’m freaking out.
Not a big Baldwin fan, but he nailed Trump perfectly.
As funny as this is, it’s pretty sad when a Presidential debate parody turns into a reenactment. November 8th can’t come soon enough!
SNL does it every election season? Its really nothing new we just now have a blow hard lying tax evading clown running for President.
That’s my point…
I thought they did a great job, in fact it was a pretty good show overall except the ‘update’ segment ( which is usually my favorite ) really felt off.
He was really good, my mum actually thought it was the real Trump when she saw the clips on CNN. But its hard to beleive how bad Trump really was at that debate when you see this. Lets hope the next debate he is just as bad.
Not a fan of Alec Baldwin but he was SPOT. ON. McKinnon was excellent, too.
This is the first actually hilarious SNL sketch Ive seen in a long time. Their writing has become so awful over the past years.
I just watched the Family Feud episode – OMG the ‘children of the corn’ line had me on the floor. Too funny and yet very sad.
Hilarious!
Yes, it was hilarious. I lost it when Putin took off his shirt…. The guy who does the host just keeps getting better and better, I’ve been watching him since he was a kid.
Keenan Thompson
That’s the best trump impersonation I have seen. Brilliant! 😂
I didn’t watch but recorded as I traveled to Nevada on a bus with hillary supporters from California to get voters registered. Tiring day but 140 more people can vote for Hillary.
Yay!
+1m
Terrific!
Woo-hoo!! Thank you!👏👏👏👏
Good for you! And for the rest of us 😉
Thank you, from the bottom of my heart from an Irish person, because the rest of us are also freaking out about Trump becoming POTUS!
You are the best. Lots of us complain, but don’t take action. Thank you for your work!!!
Alec was brilliant as Trump! Great sketch!
Loved how they enlarged Baldwin’s suit to make his hands seem smaller. Nice touch to the prop dept.
So Trump and Clinton embody American values? 😔
No, only ONE of them does.
Either one of them is one too many. As for Trump dodging taxes, Clinton isn’t in any position to criticize him, because a lot of the tax dodging he’s done was under the system that the Clinton and Obama governments presided over. I’d also wager that plenty of Hillary’s corporate backers have dodged tax too. The real question is what will she (or Trump ) do about the loopholes in the tax system if they’re elected? They both need to be grilled about this at the next debate.
Hillary has been a public servant for decades. Trump has only served himself.
“Clinton isn’t in any position to criticize him, because a lot of the tax dodging he’s done was under the system that the Clinton and Obama governments presided over.”
and Clinton didn’t write the tax code under her husband’s presidency or Obama’s. and she wasn’t in any position to re-write tax code under her husband’s presidency or Obama’s.
so tell me again, HOW is she not in any position to criticize him?…
You do understand that the President doesn’t make tax law. The Congress and Senate do.
You do understand that the President is the leader of the party and leader of the House of Reprentatives and at times the Senate.
@MRS ODIE: that’s irrelevant to my points about tax dodging.
Huh? The leader of the House of Representatives is the Speaker of the House. Which often (right now, for example) works in total opposition to the President.
Different set up to the Australian Parliament then. Down here our Prime Minister sits in the House of Reps where the government has the numbers to pass legislation up to the Senate for approval. I would’ve thought that this was the case with your House of Reps and Senate.
They were both wonderful and right on target. Hope they do it again over the next few weeks, there will be plenty of material. Scary that it was so close to the actual debate, though… But that’s why we need them!!! Please. We need to laugh. Bigly.
“It’s pronounced ‘Jina…Yuuuuge Jina'”
I will think “Jina” every time I hear news about China now. That was hilarious.
We are all from Jina.
It was hysterical! And So eerily accurate! Hopefully any “undecided” voters (still trying to figure out how that is even possible now) will see this and realize what a clown show Trump actually is.
They were both terrific. I would have exaggerated his makeup more, though.