Saturday Night Live has experienced a phenomenal resurgence in quality and relevance over the course of the last year, and much of that has to do with its return to biting political satire. The show has introduced a number of instant classic characters, but few can rival Melissa McCarthy's portrayal of White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer. The Bridesmaids star took the stage to host the NBC sketch series for the fifth time last night, and her take on Sean Spicer went full out -- even managing a shocking kiss with Alec Baldwin's Donald Trump. Check out the hilariously absurd sketch below.
Opening the skit on Aidy Bryant's impersonation of Sarah Huckabee Sanders (who should also become a consistent presence in the political sketches), the more level-headed Sean Spicer replacement is quickly overtaken as McCarthy's character rushes the stage to deliver the regular aggressive press briefing that we have all come to know and love. Plenty of familiar bits play out until the reporters suggest that Donald Trump is intentionally making Spicer lie to the press. This leads to a road trip sequence on the streets of New York (which actually went viral earlier this week) in which Spicer ultimately hunts the President down. Confronting Trump at a golf course in New Jersey, the sketch ends with a passionate kiss that drives the audience wild.
Even without the context of today's political atmosphere, Melissa McCarthy's Sean Spicer impersonation would still stand out as one of the best recurring characters on the current season of the iconic series. She brings a manic energy to her appearances that haven't been seen since Chris Farley's time as a member of the cast, and her consistent ability to dial the insanity up to 11 has become nothing short of brilliant. Couple that with Alec Baldwin's fan-favorite portrayal of Donald Trump, and you get magic.
Of course, now we are left to wonder how Sean Spicer feels about that sketch. Individual members of the Trump administration have spoken out against Saturday Night Live's particular brand of political humor since the election, but Spicer has taken a somewhat more diplomatic approach to his criticism of the series -- never directly admitting that he dislikes McCarthy's impersonation. Whether or not he still feels that after last night's episode remains a mystery, but something tells us that Saturday Night Live has no interest in retiring that instant classic character anytime soon.
Saturday Night Live airs every Saturday evening (as if the title didn't already give that away) at 11:30 p.m. EST on NBC. For more information related to all of the small screen projects set to debut over the next few months, make sure to take a look at our summer TV premiere guide and fill out your television viewing schedules accordingly.
