Lorne Michaels In Shocking Denial About ‘SNL’s’ Liberal Bias
NBC legend pretends sketch series hits both sides, speaks truth to power
Stupid or liar.
Comedian Adam Carolla poses the questions to sketchy politicians. Are they dumb enough to believe what they’re saying, or is it a calculated lie?
Simple. Powerful. Effective.
Stupid or liar. It always comes back to stupid or liar
— Adam Carolla (@adamcarolla) June 29, 2015
The podcaster’s maxim rushed to mind while processing a Hollywood Reporter interview with key “Saturday Night Live” players. The magazine interviewed show founder Lorne Michaels along with Weekend Update hosts Michael Che and Colin Jost.
Why now? It’s “SNL’s” 50th season, an impressive milestone for any TV program.
No show can maintain its level of excellence during that span. That applies to “SNL.” Quick, name the last time a show regular became a breakout movie star? How many modern “SNL” skits fueled feature-length comedies?
Even more damning? The show long ago lost its counter-culture cred. Its liberal bias isn’t just showing. It’s impossible to miss.
RELATED: ‘SNL’ STILL PLAYING DEFENSE FOR BIDEN
Michaels, Che and Jost discussed season 50, the show’s political reach and more in the dishonest interview. Why dishonest? The trio continues to insist the show is a bipartisan attack on sacred cows.
Reality doesn’t just suggest otherwise. It screams so. The show celebrates progressive power, lets fumbling Democrats skate and won’t defend free speech.
The THR reported pressed Che if the show still speaks “truth to power?” The question included a quip he made last season about President Joe Biden’s disconnect with Black Americans.
The crowd didn’t take kindly to the jab, a very rare “SNL” line that hit Biden hard.
I can’t agree with everything political that we’ve had on the show. And I’m sure there’s stuff I’ve written that’s made some castmembers bristle or some writers go, “What are we putting on? We can’t say that.” But we have to live with each other; we’re renting this space and trying to get this real estate for our ideas. So, there’s no one mission statement, I don’t believe, beyond funny is funny. Maybe Lorne has an idea of what he wants the identity to be.
Later, Che acknowledges how partisan political satire has become of late. He comically denies “SNL” joined that chorus, ignoring years of overt liberal bias.
… the show is not about being left leaning or right leaning or any leaning. It’s about seeing the truth and pointing out that the emperor is not wearing clothes. That’s what I like about comedy, so I’ll always go for those types of jokes.
Michaels similarly addresses the show’s political takes.
But if it feels like you’re talking to the audience and want to be supported because your values are the same as their values, you really shouldn’t be in comedy.
He’s right. And, apparently, his home lacks a single mirror. Later, Michaels digs a deeper hole for himself.
You can’t lecture the audience, which most of politics is now, people lecturing the audience. Ours is like, yeah, there are kind of idiots on both sides. And we’re not going to do anything that didn’t work at dress [rehearsal]. It has to play. It has to be comedy. We’re first and foremost a comedy show.
Does this look like a comedy show?
Or this?
“SNL” paid a heartfelt tribute to Obama by singing “To sir, with love” https://t.co/x0RgHcjqF6 pic.twitter.com/B23TtiFkck
— BuzzFeed (@BuzzFeed) January 22, 2017
“SNL” at 50 isn’t just a shell of its former self. It’s betrayed both the shows bipartisan roots and its founder’s public stance.
The only chance we’ll get to see “SNL” in its glory days comes on Oct. 11. That’s when director Jason Reitman’s “Saturday Night” hits theaters. The film captures the behind-the-scenes chaos from the show’s debut episode.
I take your point about Adam Corolla’s adage, but I think it leaves out an important alternative. The options should really be STUPID, LIAR, or FOOL (which, I say, is distinct from stupid). SNL has reached 50 seasons, and over that span Lorne Michaels has passed from a man of 30 to one of 80. He might have trouble seeing that he and his show have passed from being punk outsiders in 1975 to being insiders, just by the force of time. He might actually think he’s being non-partisan, but only relative to political co-ordinates from 1975-1985.
It’s just another Hate Brigade program in a long line of them.
It’s ironic and pathetic how the Left morphed from love-peace-togetherness in the 60s to lie-deny-destroy today.
Not only is the show’s liberal bias just that, BIAS, but it’s so in-your-face you’d think if NPR had a TV equivalent, it would be at home there. Also, the cast’s demographics are highly to blame for the Left-wing bias. I used to watch it mainly for the musical guests(needless to say, music is passion and I plan to make it my life’s work), but by the mid-Aughts, I didn’t watch it as much. Initially it was habit but, by the time Trump had been in office a year, I PURPOSELY was not watching the show.
His name is Che. How ironic.
You’re right.
SNL stopped being funny when I was in college- 1974-1979. A lot of their bits seemed to do nothing more than work in an oblique comment – usually not at all funny – about smoking weed. The studio audience would CHEEEER! YAY!!!! It happened repetitively, and it was juvenal.
Yeah, back then, I smoked a little dope. Even when I had a nice buzz going, that wasn’t humorous. I found better things to do on Saturday nights.
It’s probably been 30 years since I’ve seen an episode. Used to be a must see, every Saturday night. Now it’s just leftist sludge like all TV now.
At least 30 years for me. I believe it was in ’88 when I turned off the TV after watching an entire episode and realized I hadn’t laughed one time, much less cracked a smile. Maybe I was in a bad mood, but more likely, the show just wasn’t funny.
Being a combat vet/life-long patriot, those people insult everything I believe and stand up for…
Correct answer is BOTH
If they wanted to really make people laugh, they could be doing hilarious bits on Kamala. But they won’t. Yes they are biased. Everyone sees it.
A sitting president supposedly crapped his pants at the Vatican and definitely ripped a loud fart in front of a Dutch-es. Nothing. That’s comedy gold. Chevy Chase rode Ford falling down for years!