Lin-Manuel Miranda Showed Up As Hamilton In A Trump Sketch On SNL, And He Was Fighting For His Life Not To Break Character

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Before stepping onto the stage of Saturday Night Live, celebrities are typically given two simple suggestions: remember your lines and try not to laugh. While these instructions may seem straightforward, it can prove challenging when the bright lights of Studio 8H are shining. Last night, Lin-Manuel Miranda, the renowned Hamilton star, experienced this firsthand during a sketch featuring President Trump, where he struggled to suppress his laughter by the end.

The central idea behind the skit revolves around the Founding Fathers establishing our government without a monarchy. After some historical context and John Hancock boasting about the size of his signature on The Declaration of Independence, Miranda (as Alexander Hamilton) begins to sing. Suddenly, James Austin Johnson bursts onto the scene with an impressive portrayal of President Trump, proclaiming his time as a “Kingly era.

In a peculiar scene, Trump dominates the stage while everyone else remains stationary. Towards the end, he strides over to Miranda, who is supposed to be motionless, and discusses how the crowd would have enjoyed his rap performance. He boasts about being on the brink of achieving an EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Awards) and then playfully refers to Miranda as a mix of Laura Linney, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Miranda Cosgrove.

Every time, Miranda appears on the verge of grinning widely and almost chuckling, a fact that he later seemed to verify by resharing an Instagram story detailing his close call. Luckily, he manages to keep it together throughout the ordeal. You can catch the whole spectacle below, where Miranda eventually steps out from behind the curtains to lend a hand with the Live From New York segment…

In this article, it may appear as though I’m critiquing Lin-Manuel Miranda harshly, but let me clarify that is not the case. It’s evident that he’s well-versed in live theater, a skill that becomes apparent when you see him perform. Unlike many Hollywood actors who are accustomed to filming, where multiple takes can be done if needed, Miranda demonstrates remarkable control. In the world of Broadway or even off-Broadway, there’s no option to call for a retake if an actor loses composure. Instead, they must find a way to regain their focus and continue with their role, which Miranda does seamlessly in this performance.

Kudos to James Austin Johnson for coming very close to making others crack up! Over the years, Saturday Night Live (SNL) enthusiasts often discuss cast members who struggle to keep a straight face during sketches. Jimmy Fallon is most famously associated with this issue, but there are also Not Ready For Primetime Players who have been exceptional at causing others to laugh uncontrollably, such as Amy Poehler and Kate McKinnon. They seemed to take pleasure in pushing people to the brink of laughter, and Johnson appears to be doing just that here by persistently using the nicknames.

Fortunately, Miranda will likely have more chances to appear on SNL again. The mega-star has hosted SNL before and including last night, has cameoed an additional three times. It helps that he works in New York and is always willing to mobilize on short notice, as we saw last night, as showrunner Lorne Michaels apparently didn’t even ask him until Friday night. Hopefully he gets another crack at hosting at some point. Maybe it’ll even be later this season as all the upcoming hosts haven’t been announced yet. Fingers crossed they actually let him finish a song next time.

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2025-01-26 16:37