Donald Trump is hosting Saturday Night Live. We say again, Donald Trump is hosting Saturday Night Live. Despite – or perhaps because of – his controversial persona, the Republican presidential candidate will make time in his busy campaign schedule for some good old-fashioned sketch comedy later this season.
Trump will take center stage as host of SNL on November 7, accompanied by Sia, who will serve at the episode’s musical guest. The late night sketch comedy show has developed a reputation over the years for strong satirical material of presidential elections; some of the best material to come out of SNL in the last decade revolved around Tina Fey’s uncanny impersonation of John McCain’s one-time running mate Sarah Palin. With that in mind, the controversial Republican candidate will likely draw some of the season’s biggest ratings. This won’t be the candidate’s first rodeo; he hosted the show back in 2004 – long before his widespread foray into the world of politics.
Although Trump will host the popular NBC sketch show, NBC officially cut ties with the billionaire months ago over his remarks regarding immigration. As a result of this, Trump’s position as host of The Celebrity Apprentice was somewhat ironically handed to notably successful immigrant Arnold Schwarzenegger. Despite the fact that the network officially ended business relations with Trump, he has remained a consistent fixture on many of their programs, such as The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and Meet the Press.
Trump is no stranger to satire. Ever since he announced his presidential campaign, he has been the butt of countless Internet jokes – something almost all politicians inevitably fall prey to. From Deadpool trailers to episodes of South Park, the high-profile billionaire has become one of the most headline-grabbing figures in American politics. Trump seems to have gotten in on the joke however, using appearance on programs like The Tonight Show to have fun with his persona.
Regardless of your stance on Trump or his politics, this SNL episode will almost certainly entertain. The show has a tendency towards impartial satire – skewering anything that happens to be relevant at a given time. Even a sketch that aired last week about gun violence did not necessarily take an overtly liberal stance; it merely mocked the American fascination with firearms. While Trump’s conservative opinions have incited passion on both sides of the political aisle, the show has taken just as many opportunities to joke about the left – such as their portrayal of the Clinton family as far back as the early 1990’s.
We will see how he fares when he takes the SNL stage on Saturday, November 7, only on NBC.
