Al Franken Says the Quiet Part Out Loud About ‘SNL’
Former cast member lets the truth slip about show's political bias
Former “Saturday Night Live” star Al Franken made headlines as a liberal Minnesota Senator.
One particular news cycle chased him out of office.
Franken didn’t let his ideological beliefs infect his previous work as an “SNL” writer/performer. He made sure his sketches hit both sides of the political aisle, sometimes hard, during his tenure.
And he’s darn proud of it.
“Our goal was to get laughs from everyone,” Franken says in a new Time essay. The feature recalls the behind-the-scenes maneuvers involving a Dukakis/Bush the Elder sketch. It’s a window into the classic show’s process, one that forged its pop culture legacy.
Said legacy hit its 50th anniversary mark this year.
[Taking sides] was never our goal. It was just to do well-observed (and dare I say smart) political commentary.
The details fascinate, but it’s what he said at the end of the essay that speaks volumes about the show’s eventual decline.
For decades the show avoided veering into advocacy. That would wait until Trump became president. [emphasis added]
That matters for several reasons.
Most “SNL” players refuse to admit the show has become a mouthpiece for the DNC. Show creator Lorne Michaels repeatedly denies “SNL’s” extreme bias in interview after interview.
Alums generally speak fondly of their time on the show and take pains not to attack the institution. In many cases “SNL” made them stars.
One alum couldn’t hold his disdain back for the show’s political “evolution.”
Rob Schneider admitted that the 2016 Hillary Clinton / “Hallelujah” sketch broke him, to a degree.
Kudos to Franken for stating the obvious.
Because Franken was successful in a very competitive business for a long time, he actually had a work ethic, and he brought it to his job as a Senator. Most observers agree that he took the job seriously and worked hard to get up to speed. That is all to his credit.
What I will always remember has less to do with Franken and more to do with Dems around Franken. Recall that his was in effect the Senate vote that brought us Obamacare. The Democrat election machinery operated by Mr. Elias and his minions ground and ground and ground, recount after recount in Minnesota until Franken “won.” By 312 votes. Out of 3 million cast. In an election where about 542,000 voters, more than 18%, registered on election day.
I think the last time I watched an SNL episode Chris Farley played “Relapse Guy.”
I think it’s clear why everyone who believes in democracy and the rule of law would be opposed to Trump. We all have to start thinking about our country.
If there were any question about SNL Political bias, they were shown in the complete absence of any reference to Joe Piscopo on the show! While Joe was always a “Blue Dog” Democrat, he is a registered Independent today and a strong supporter of President Trump.
I didn’t think Franken should have been kicked out of office for the reason he was. He’s a comedian and was being funny.
Not that I miss him as a senator.