Kamala Harris Steals The Spotlight On SNL: A Thrilling Cold Open You’ll Never Forget
Over the weekend, Democratic Presidential Candidate Kamala Harris appeared on Saturday Night Live (SNL). The presidential candidate appeared on the comedy sketch series last Saturday as the election draws near, but there has been criticism that this violated FCC rules.
VP Harris appeared on the most recent episode, hosted by John Mulaney, while SNL alum Maya Rudolph has returned to impersonate the candidate.
At the beginning of the cold opening, Rudolph sits in front of a mirror, stating, “I wish I could talk to someone who’s been in my shoes. You know, a Black, South Asian woman running for president. Preferably from the Bay Area.”
The presidential candidate then appeared as Rudolph’s reflection with some words of encouragement, “I’m just here to remind you: You got this,” Harris declared. “Because you can do something your opponent cannot do: You can open doors.”
The SNL cold opening was filled with a series of jokes, including a riff on Harris’ name. For instance, Rudolph joked, “Take my palm-ala. The American people want to stop the chaos,” which Harris continued with, “And end the dram-ala.”
Her special guest appearance stands in a long tradition of inviting presidential candidates as guest stars on SNL. For instance, on November 1, 2008, Arizona Senator John McCain appeared on the opening skit and the “Weekend Update” segment when he was the Republican presidential candidate in the 2008 elections. Former president Barack Obama appeared in a sketch with former SNL cast members Amy Poehler and Darrell Hammond a year prior.
However, VP Harris and SNL have faced backlash from critiques of Harris’s cameo appearance, which violated the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) “Equal Time” Rule. The “Equal Time” Rule requires that American radio and television provide equal access to competing political candidates. However, it does not apply to cable channels or other video content.
According to USA Today, the network NBC filed a notice on Sunday detailing that Harris appeared on the series “without charge” for “1 minute and 30 seconds.” Before the notice was filed, FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr, a senior Republican on the commission who was appointed by Former President Trump, posted on X that the stunt was a “clear and blatant effort to evade the FCC’s Equal Time rule” and that NBC should offer equal time to other “qualifying campaigns.”
The same day the notice was filed, Trump appeared at the NASCAR 2024 Cup playoff race, allowing him to address viewers for his campaign.
Check out Vice President Kamala Harris’s appearance on Saturday Night Live below.
