Fans slam SNL for trying to resuscitate Kamala Harris' Fox interview (2024)

Fans of Saturday Night Live are up in arms over a sketch they say sought to save face for Kamala Harris.

The skit saw a recently cleared Alec Baldwin assume the role of Fox News' Bret Baier in a surprise guest appearance. Opposite him was veteran cast member Maya Rudolph, who stood in for the vice president.

A subsequent back-and-forth appeared to poke fun at the newscaster's interview handling, which many have criticized as crass.

The cold open, in turn, contained several instances of Baldwin's Baier interrupting Rudolph, painting the personality's line of questioning as combative.

Multiple onlookers online, however, remained unconvinced, claiming the display was a lame attempt at eliciting a more favorable judgment in the court of public opinion.

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Fan of Saturday Night Live are up in arms over a sketch that say sought to save face for Kamala Harris

Baldwin and Rudolph were parodying the vice president's Fox News interview that aired earlier this week (pictured)

'Well, Kamala is collapsing in the polls so a desperate @nbcsnl brought out its big "guns,"' wrote one such user on X.

'Yes, that was @AlecBaldwin playing the Fox News journalist!Too soon?' they then asked, referencing the regular host's recently wrapped manslaughter case.

'Nice "shot" SNL, but @realDonaldTrump is still headed for a landslide win!'

Others were equally as skeptical about SNL's true intentions with the scene, as just 15 days remain before the looming election.

'It’s getting obnoxious,' sniped one onlooker. 'Kamala goes on [F]ox and looks awful.

'The leftist press puts the press on to say that she actually did amazing... when that failed they predictably rolled out SNL to put out a fictional version of events that dumb people will believe because laughs and actors.'

Some honed in on Harris' flubs on Fox News, which Baldwin and Rudolph appeared to ignore - as they billed Baier as the person at fault.

Fans of Saturday Night Live were up in arms over the sketch Sunday morning, framing it as an attempt to cast Harris in a better light

One person branded the parody as 'pathetic,' saying the true comedy came from 'Kamala's horrible performance.'

'How she couldn't answer any questions without going on Trump rants,' that internet user proclaimed.

'And how her people threw in the towel to end the interview.'

Another person comically claimed Rudolph came off as a 'a better #KamalaHarris than Kamala Harris', citing how the comedienne 'remembers her lines, doesn’t cackle, and is more articulate, smarter, funnier, and... healthier.

'Kamala looks angry, tired and has a bad case of #TDS' by comparison, the person said - using an acronym popularized by MAGA members that refers to 'Trump derangement syndrome.'

Others criticized the show for bringing back Baldwin, a 17-time host who just weeks ago had his name cleared in the involuntary manslaughter case involving late cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.

The cold open contained several instances of Baldwin's Baier interrupting Rudolph, in an apparent attempt to paint the personality's line of questioning toward Harris (pictured) as combative

Prosecutors in New Mexicohad sought to proved the actor's behavior on the tragic set contributed to 'safety compromises' that led to the incident, but failed to do so after errorsin the handling of evidence led a judge to dismiss the case without prejudice.

This meant Baldwin, who broke down in tears after hearing the judgment this past July, could not again be charged despite being the one to fire the fatal shot.

Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, 26, the armorer on the set of Rust, was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter earlier this year and jailed for 18 months, a sentence Baldwin would have faced if found guilty.

His return received additional attention due to his beingSNL's most prolific host, having fulfilled the role 17 times and uttering its famous intro phrase some 45 times.

That said, the actor has only appeared on it sparingly since 2017, with this spot just his second within that span.

Last November, he made another surprise appearance nearly two years after the on-set shooting, still wrapped up in multiple legal proceedings.

Others, meanwhile, criticized the show for bringing back Baldwin, a 17-time host who just weeks ago had his name cleared in an involuntary manslaughter case

The case surrounded the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, who was killed after being hit by a bullet from a prop gun fired by Baldwin on the Rust film set in October 2021

As Bair, he proceeded to embark on a rude grilling of Rudolph's version of the vice president, echoing some recent criticisms of the interview.

The skit also mocked a moment that Baier would later concede was a mistake - when he segue into the wrong clip of a Donald Trump quote.

This allowed 'SNL' to bring in several mini-skits like Dana Carvey as President Joe Biden and eventually Donald Trump, before getting back toBaldwin and Rudolph.

The pair went to introduce the episode with the famous 'Live from New York' tagline - after whichBaldwin did not appear again

As was the case last year, hedid not address the recently wrapped litigation, after drawing backlash in the past for his recent over-the-top renditions of Trump.

Baldwin initially claimed he did not pull the trigger on the weapon that led to his staffer's death. The case was dismissed due to mishandling of evidence

He choseto forgo the character for this outing, with the part instead being played byJames Austin Johnson, who sought to poke fun at a recent town hall from the former president that became an impromptu music festival Monday when two attendees fell ill.

'Let’s not do any more questions,' Trump said at the event following the medical emergencies, seemingly out of respect,

Instead, he said, 'Let’s just listen to music,' paving the way for hits like 'YMCA' and 'It’s A Man’s Man’s Man’s World,'which played for about a half an hour.

'He can dance all he wants to YMCA or to any other song he doesn’t realize is a gay anthem,' Rudolph, in turn, quipped as Harris on the now widely seen skit.

'This election is about contrast,' she continued, not calling attention to the candidate's now trademark trip-ups and word salads.

'At my rallies, there’s Beyoncé and joy and bathrooms. At his rallies, he won’t pay for the busses and hundreds of elderly people have to walk back to their car six miles through the desert.'

In a shock to absolutely no one, Donald Trump left his supporters stranded after his “rally” because he didn’t bother to pay the bus company.

Yes, he really is that cheap and selfish.pic.twitter.com/rJkNQWfD15

— Mary L Trump (@MaryLTrump) October 14, 2024

The later jab appeared to reference reports following the Pennsylvania event that Trump’s supporters were left stranded in sweltering conditions following a rally in Coachella, California.

'There used to be like 20 buses when we were being brought here, but now there are only three buses,' said rallygoer Wesley Johnson in a video shared to social media at the time.

'It’s chaos, absolute chaos. All of us are stranded here.'

Harris, meanwhile, is currently falling behind Trump in some swing state polls. Election Day is 15 days away.

Polls show a razor-thin race nationally as well as in Georgia. The Real Clear Politics average has Donald Trump up just over one point in Georgia.

Fans slam SNL for trying to resuscitate Kamala Harris' Fox interview (2024)

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