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By Dennis Romero
“Saturday Night Live” delivered some laughs at the expense of Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos following his disputed accusations that the owner of the National Enquirer threatened to publish sexually graphic photos that were part of texts between him and girlfriend Lauren Sanchez.
The comedy showcase opened with a spoof of MSNBC’s “Meet the Press” and a thorough discussion of what might be seen in the alleged images.
Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson, played by Kenan Thompson, wondered if Bezos is “working with something the size of an Amazon Echo or is it more of a Dot.”
Robinson said he looked forward to seeing any Bezos photos.
“I’ll make them into hilarious memes and I’ll send them to all my friends,” he said.
Eighty-one-year-old U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross (Kate McKinnon), a billionaire investor, was introduced by host Chuck Todd (Kyle Mooney), and he expressed his discomfort with the topic.
“I’m one of the guys,” he said. “I like watching sports and drinking a cold glass of blood.”
Acting U.S. Attorney General Matt Whitaker (Aidy Bryant) joined the conversation and, at one point, confirmed that his time in the Trump administration would be counted in months.
“Soon I will go back to my job of breaking up fights on ‘The Jerry Springer Show,” he said.
A later skit satirized scandal in Virginia surrounding admissions by Gov. Ralph Northam and Attorney General Mark Herring that they dressed in blackface in the 1980s.
Repertory player Kenan Thompson played the chair of a legislative ethics committee who wanted to know, “Has anybody else worn blackface in college? Anybody?”
He has trouble convincing lawmakers that blackface is never acceptable.
“I just didn’t think this would be that complicated,” he said.
“What if you wore blackface as a tribute, like an homage, to your hero?” one politician asked.
“Who is your hero?” Thompson said.
“Al Jolson,” the lawmaker answered.
The satirical news segment “Weekend Update” stayed on Virginia, referring to Northam telling reporters at a news conference one week ago that he once used blackface to portray Michael Jackson.
“Weekend Update” co-host Michael Che called it “the least accurate Michael Jackson costume possible.”
Che segued to public outrage over a Gucci item that has been dubbed the “blackface” sweater. He said the news was especially “devastating” for African-Americans because Gucci has long enjoyed brand loyalty from the black community.
“White women,” he said, “imagine if you found out Lululemon was making MAGA hats.”
The show’s host and musical guest was double-platinum recording artist Halsey.