The White House pushed back on NBC’s Saturday Night Live after comedian Michael Che made an assassination joke about President Donald Trump.
“President Trump attended the opening night of Chicago at the Kennedy Center, and I think that’s cool that the president is going to the theater. I mean, what’s the worst that could happen?” Che said during SNL’s Weekend Update segment.
Notably, the Saturday Night Live cast member’s remarks — which elicited an outpouring of cheers among the left-wing studio audience — were a blatant reference to the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln.
As many may recall, President Trump survived two assassination attempts while on the campaign trail in 2024, one which resulted in his
White House spokesman Davis Ingle fired back, telling Fox News, “Saturday Night Live hasn’t been a good television show since President Trump hosted it.”
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In 2015, Trump famously hosted SNL during the Republican primary race, quipping, “People think I’m controversial, but the truth is, I’m a nice guy. I don’t hold grudges against anybody, like Rosie O’Donnell,” sparking laughter among the audience members — before the entertainment industry’s vitriol for the president kicked into high gear.
But the White House spokesman has a point, as viewers don’t appear to find Saturday Night Live as funny as they once did.
Last month, SNL faced backlash for what social media users call a “disgusting” and “shameful” sketch that featured comedians playing celebrities justifying their past scandals by blaming them on Tourette syndrome — in reference to the racial slur controversy at this year’s British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs).
The sketch poked fun at John Davidson — a Scottish man who inspired the BAFTA-nominated biopic I Swear, a film about struggling with alienation from his peers after being diagnosed with Tourette’s syndrome at a young age — who involuntarily shouted the N-word at the awards ceremony, sparking outrage among those who are not familiar with the condition.
Tourettes Action CEO Emma McNally, who heads a leading charity dedicated to supporting those with Tourette syndrome, slammed SNL, writing, “I want to be completely clear here THIS IS NOT ACCEPTABLE,” in an email to Deadline.
“Mocking a disability is never acceptable,” McNally added at the time. “It would not be tolerated for any other condition, and it should not be tolerated by people with Tourette’s.”
Alana Mastrangelo is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on Facebook and X at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.
