Saturday Night Live returned to television to resume Season 43 last night, and the series had a surprise special guest to help commemorate the first new episode of 2018. Former cast member, host, and all-around funny guy Bill Murray returned to SNL last night to portray the polarizing political figure Steve Bannon, and it was something that needs to be seen to be believed. Watch Murray portray the "Bannon Cannon," below, as he and the cast parodied MSNBC's Morning Joe in a sketch that's received a lot of buzz following its airing:
The crowd response said it all, people were psyched to see Bill Murray back on Saturday Night Live. Murray portrayed former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon, who had been parodied before in the series as the grim reaper by current cast member Mikey Day. The past skits helped make the surprise better, as Murray was able to hide his face beneath the hood and prevent the audience from knowing he was there until his reveal. Murray made plenty of jokes at Bannon's expense which, among other things, included the ousted Trump strategist revealing plans to get folks like Logan Paul and Jared Fogle elected President.
Bill Murray was last seen on Saturday Night Live back in 2016 as he sang a rousing rendition of "Go Cubs Go," just days after the team won the World Series. Murray's portrayal of Steve Bannon is the latest celebrity parody of a political figure, which is something SNL has grown quite fond of as of late. Let's hope Murray's appearance as Bannon is as frequent as Alec Baldwin's Donald Trump, as television appearances by the actor these days are few and far between.
Bill Murray's return overshadowed the presence of another former Saturday Night Live cast member in the sketch, as Portlandia star Fred Armisen was also present portraying author Michael Wolff. Wolff is not technically a political figure but is currently making headlines as the author of the book Fire And Fury. Armisen's last appearance on the series prior to last night was back in 2016 when he hosted the Season 41 finale of the series. While Armisen isn't making as many headlines as Murray for his return to the series, both men have something to celebrate as their SNL cold open is currently the top viewed sketch from last night on YouTube.
Saturday Night Live is all new on NBC with host Jessica Chastain and musical guest Troye Sivan Saturday, January 20 at 11:30 p.m. ET. For more on Bill Murray, be sure to check this awesome list of times people randomly ran into the actor out in the world and he made their day. For a list of shows that are returning or premiering in the coming months and information on when and where to find said shows, visit our midseason premiere guide.
