By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
Final SNL Pre-Election Cold Open Jabs Media Coverage and Breaks the Fourth Wall
This cold open said more about Mike Pence’s anti-LGBT stance than all four debates.
Saturday Night Live’s final cold open before Election Day began as an imagined CNN interview of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump with Cecily Strong as anchor Erin Burnett. The back-and-forth between Alec Baldwin’s Trump and Kate McKinnon’s Clinton took a jab at the media coverage of Clinton’s emails.
Throughout the sketch, Clinton pointed out Trump’s questionable relationships with the FBI, Vladimir Putin, and the KKK, with Trump kissing an FBI agent, Putin, and a member of the KKK while McKinnon’s Clinton asked Burnett if she’d just seen that.
"Sorry," Strong’s Burnett replied. "That just doesn’t seem like enough of a story. Let’s get back to the emails."
SNL’s cold open also skewered Trump’s attempts to win over LGBT voters. "I am a huge supporter of the LB community," claimed Trump in the sketch. When Burnett asked if he meant the LGBT community, he confidently responded, "No, just the L and the B."
McKinnon’s Clinton then pointed out Mike Pence’s anti-LGBT policies—a topic the moderators and candidates avoided in debates. "You see Erin, this is how he talks," she said, "He pretends to be pro-gay, but his running mate believes in conversion therapy."
In the middle of their heated back-and-forth, Baldwin broke character and said, "I’m sorry Kate, I hate yelling at you like this."
"I know," McKinnon responded. "I hate what this election has done to us."
Baldwin then shouted to the audience, "Don’t you feel gross all the time?" They cheered in response.
While Trump and Hillary may never run hand-in-hand through New York, hugging each other’s supporters, Baldwin and McKinnon did just that in a pre-taped segment to the tune of "Wake Up" by Arcade Fire. When the actors returned, they urged the audience to get out and vote on Election Day.
"We can’t tell you who to vote for," said McKinnon, "but we all get to choose what kind of country we want to live in."
As this ugly election cycle nears the end, the future of our country seems more uncertain than ever—but we do hope it will involve more Arcade Fire hugging montages.
