“Saturday Night Live” had a humorously frank discussion about race and the trial of Derek Chauvin, the white former police officer charged in the Minneapolis death of George Floyd.
The cold open focused on a fictitious local news show, “Eye on Minnesota,” and its two Black and two white hosts, played by Ego Nwodim and Kenan Thompson, and Kate McKinnon and Alex Moffatt, respectively.
While McKinnon’s anchorwoman predicted the ex-officer “walks away from this,” the Black hosts criticized Chauvin’s defense for arguing Floyd’s death was the result of past drug use.
“It was a clear act of desperation to create doubt where there is none,” Thompson said.
McKinnon countered, “There’s no way a jury’s going to fall for that.”
“I’m not saying that,” Thompson said.
Nwodim said juries are easy on police accused of violence against Black Americans. “Let’s just say we’ve seen this movie before,” Nwodim said.
McKinnon agreed, saying, “Historically, police have gotten away in other cases like this.”
Thompson asked, “Historically?”
“She means every single time,” Nwodim said.
Black weather forecaster Calvin (Chris Redd) was asked to weigh in as a sort of tiebreaker. “He’s a white cop in Minnesota, so I’m going to guess probation with pay — tops,” he said.
McKinnon’s character eventually changed the subject, saying, “We lost royalty yesterday.”
“Yes,” Nwodim said, “the rapper DMX died.”
McKinnon concluded, “There’s got to be one news story we can all agree on.”
“What about Matt Gaetz?” Moffett said.
They all nodded in agreement.
“Weekend Update” extended its roast of U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz to a second weekend after The New York Times reported that federal agents were investigating whether he traveled across state lines with women—and possibly a 17-year-old girl—for paid sex.
Gaetz has repeatedly and forcefully denied the allegations.
Co-host Colin Jost said, “Matt Gaetz, who looks like all of the dudes on ‘American Pie’ combined, reportedly sent $900 on Venmo to an alleged sex trafficker who then forwarded that same exact amount to three young women in payments labeled ‘tuition’ and ‘school.’
“If true,” he said, “it would make him the only congressman actually helping with student loans.”
Jost also noted that Gaetz spoke Friday at a conservative conference titled “Women for America First,” “which was a nice change to see women pay for an hour with Matt Gaetz.”
Fellow host Michael Che zeroed in in Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell for saying corporations like Coca-Cola and Delta, which have denounced Georgia’s new, GOP-led voter restrictions, should stay out of politics.
“Coincidentally, stay our of politics is also Georgia’s new rule for Black people,” Che said.
