“Saturday Night Live” this weekend zeroed in on the tense state of the country with a cold open centered around a game show called “So You Think You Won’t Snap?”
The host of the game show (Bowen Yang) mentioned real headlines to contestants in the sketch until they inevitably broke down in some way.
“Have you noticed that everyone around you is angry and crazy?” Yang asked at the top of the sketch with a game-show-host grin. “People are flipping out at Target, stabbing is back and the only thing that can cheer us up is watching a sexy show about Jeffrey Dahmer.”
The first contestant (Heidi Gardner), who Yang described one of the only four “people in America who have not yet snapped,” was read increasingly concerning news about a potential nuclear threat from Russia and President Biden’s ability to deal with it.
“SNL” cast member Chloe Fineman “snaps” during the sketch show’s game show cold open as host Bowen Yang watches.
(NBC)
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“On Thursday, Biden said we are closer to nuclear Armageddon than we’ve been in 60 years,” the host said.
When Gardner’s character answered, “don’t know where to put that in my brain but I love Biden,” Yang sadistically reminded her of Biden’s age.
“When Joe Biden was born we didn’t have highways,” Yang said, adding the president didn’t get his first computer until he was 53 years old.
He then played a real video clip of Biden on ’60 Minutes” talking about his “mental acuity.”
US President Joe Biden steps off Air Force One upon arrival at Philadelphia International Airport in Philadelphia on October 7, 2022.
(Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)
“How would you say your mental focus is?” the “60 Minutes” interviewer asks in the clip before Biden answers: “Oh, it’s focused.” He then laughs and mumbles, then: “I think it’s – I haven’t – look.”
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The sketch then cuts to Gardner furiously chugging a glass of wine.
A second contestant (Chloe Fineman) reached her breaking point (during which the fake game show allowed her to hit a flight attendant in a nod to recent disgruntled passenger outbursts) after she was told about Herschel Walker’s abortion allegation, 86% of kids say their dream job is to be a social media influencer and that Chris Pratt plays Mario in the new animated movie.
The third contestant (Kenan Thompson) snapped after just hearing the name “Elon Musk.”
“That man needs to shut his mouth!” an infuriated Thompson shouted. “Rich dude talking about going to Mars, well take your a– to Mars then!”
The final contestant (Davon Walker) wasn’t bothered by news that 401ks are down by 20% or that the Mars company has announced that in the “name of inclusivity” the orange M&M has anxiety but he started to stress out when the host brought up Ye, the rapper former known as Kanye West.
Guest host Brendan Gleeson with Musical guest Willow and Chloe Fineman during Promos in Studio 8H on Thursday, October 6, 2022.
(Photo by: Rosalind OConnor/NBC via Getty Images)
“It’s OK, I still like his music,” Walker’s character said through deep breaths after the host said Ye called Lizzo fans “demonic.”
The host continued, “Kanye West also recently opened a private school,” prompting Walker to say, “Ok, it’s cool, yeah, that’s good right.”
Then the host said, “and he says he’s never read a book in his life.”
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Walker, who is Black, finally lost his cool, after the host showed him a photo of Ye’s controversial “White Lives Matter” t-shirt he wore at a fashion show in Paris last week.
Brendan Gleeson guest-hosted the episode and his “The Banshees of Inisherin” co-star Colin Farrell popped in during his monologue to share a song with him.
Willow Smith was the musical guest.