As a seasoned gamer of political satire and a devoted follower of Saturday Night Live (SNL), I find myself both intrigued and perplexed by Lorne Michaels’ approach to inviting real-life political figures onto the show during its 50th season. On one hand, I appreciate the creative challenge that SNL’s talented cast faces in impersonating these powerful personalities, but on the other, I can’t help but wonder what it would be like to see the actual candidates in action.
Currently, Saturday Night Live’s audience can anticipate enjoying the political satire provided by its skilled impressionists.
During a recent interview prior to the 50th season of Saturday Night Live, its creator Lorne Michaels shared that he hasn’t contacted the real-life presidential candidates, and doesn’t plan to do so before the 2024 election. He explained to The Hollywood Reporter, “It’s not possible to feature the actual people running because of election laws and equal time requirements.” Then, for further clarification, he added, “You can’t have the main candidates without including all the candidates, but there are many minor candidates who appear only on ballots in a few states, making it quite complex.
Michael has shifted his focus towards the combination of fresh and recurring actors that he’s chosen to portray Washington D.C.’s influential figures, such as Kamala Harris (played by Maya Rudolph), Tim Walz (Jim Gaffigan), Donald Trump (James Austin Johnson) and J.D. Vance (Bowen Yang). In the same conversation, part of a recent cover story for THR, Michael mentioned that he views the show’s 50th season as an opportunity to invite back previous cast members and friends of the show, which he also did with Dana Carvey (who played Joe Biden) and Andy Samberg (Douglas Emhoff). Of course, just because it’s complex to have real-life political figures on the show doesn’t make it impossible. In fact, it has been achieved before.
In November 2015, SNL had Trump as their host while the Republican primary was heated, with 13 contenders competing against him for the GOP nomination. As Bryan Tucker, a writer for SNL, later shared with THR, “Opinions were divided about his appearance at that time, but during that week, he was in second place in Iowa, trailing Ben Carson. Trump was indeed a nationwide sensation, yet it wasn’t immediately clear that he would become president.
Following his TV hosting stint, NBC calculated that he was on-screen for a total of 12 minutes and 5 seconds. They then granted his opponents an equivalent amount of free primetime or Saturday Night Live slot time. This practice was not met with ‘equal time’ concerns by the Obama campaign during Sarah Palin’s appearance in a sketch on SNL, which featured Tina Fey impersonating her, weeks before the 2008 election.
The equal time regulations, set by the Communications Act of 1934, obligate broadcasters to offer equivalent airtime to opposing political campaigns before an election. However, there are circumstances where this rule doesn’t apply, with major news events being one of them. According to the FCC, exceptions include “bona fide newscasts, interview programs, certain types of news documentaries, and live coverage of bona fide news events.” These exemptions also extend to political campaign advertisements as well as entertainment programming. For instance, during Dr. Mehmet Oz’s 2022 Senate campaign in Pennsylvania, episodes of his daytime talk show were removed from stations serving Pennsylvania due to the FCC considering it a significant event that could trigger this rule.
After taking office, Trump expressed concerns over his portrayal on Saturday Night Live (SNL). He tweeted that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and Federal Election Commission (FEC) should examine the long-running late-night show due to its allegedly biased sketches about him. The suggestion was for equal representation in response. However, series creator Lorne Michaels has consistently argued that SNL is not politically aligned, but rather targets whoever holds power. As Michael Che, co-anchor of “Weekend Update,” phrased it, “our job is to reveal the truth and expose that the emperor has no clothes.
Michael doesn’t appear to exclude the possibility of inviting real-life politicians onto his show after the election. Although he plans to be tough on both sides leading up to it, he doesn’t anticipate this affecting his ability to get them on the show. As he put it, “We know what we do, and I think we’re going to do it again. It’s what we’re meant to do.” In essence, when he asks those he previously interviewed if they want to return, they usually agree.
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2024-10-01 16:25