NBC’s Saturday Night Live has found itself at the center of controversy after its latest episode was criticized for making light of assassination attempts against former President Donald Trump. The show, known for its political satire, opened its 50th season with sketches mocking political figures, including a segment that referenced the July assassination attempt on Trump, which resulted in the death of a supporter at a rally in Pennsylvania.
James Austin Johnson, playing Trump, joked about the sounds of gunfire at the rally, saying, “We love my rallies, except when someone does the ‘bing, bong, bing, bing, bing’ right at me,” referring to the sounds of bullets.
The joke was met with backlash from both conservative commentators and former NBC executives, who found the humor tasteless and inappropriate. Critics, like former NBCUniversal executive Mike Sington, noted that while he isn’t a Trump supporter, mocking an assassination attempt crossed a line.
Fox News host Jimmy Failla was quick to label the sketch as part of SNL’s shift toward what he calls “activism masquerading as comedy.” He argued that the show, which once thrived on accessible political satire, now pushes a liberal agenda under the guise of humor. Failla specifically highlighted how the show’s approach to mocking Biden remained relatively light, focusing on harmless gaffes, while skits about Trump often carried a more pointed political message.
There were two assassination attempts against President Trump within a span of seven weeks.@nbcsnl apparently finds that funny. Disgusting. pic.twitter.com/huSqKsrGhM
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) September 29, 2024
Conservative commentators like Tim Young echoed similar sentiments, arguing that SNL has long since abandoned balanced satire in favor of pushing leftist narratives. Young, particularly disturbed by the show’s treatment of the assassination attempts, pointed out how the jokes could downplay the seriousness of the threats against Trump, potentially encouraging more violence. He also noted that the show’s mockery of Trump’s supporters feels like an attack on a broader swath of Americans, not just the former president.
In response, Trump’s campaign took to social media, condemning SNL for finding humor in the assassination attempts, calling the show’s content “disgusting.” The campaign pointed out that within a seven-week span, Trump had survived two separate assassination attempts—one of which resulted in the death of 50-year-old Corey Comperatore, a former fire chief, while others were injured. The second attempt involved a man with an AK-47 outside Trump’s golf course in Florida.
While SNL took heat for the assassination jokes, some observers noticed a shift in how the show treated President Biden. For one of the first times, the program openly mocked Biden’s confusion and bizarre behavior, including his well-known habit of sniffing hair.
This change in tone has led some, like Tim Young, to speculate that SNL’s gentler treatment of Biden in previous years was an effort to protect him. With Kamala Harris now positioned as the likely Democratic nominee, the show may be shifting gears to reflect the changing political landscape.
