Megyn Kelly has joined the growing chorus of critics slamming Tom Hanks’ offensive portrayal of MAGA supporters on SNL.
Saturday Night Live celebrated its 50th anniversary on Sunday with a star-studded special featuring A-listers like Kristen Wiig, Adam Sandler, Chris Rock and Bill Murray, aiming to take viewers on a nostalgic trip through the show’s legendary history.
However, controversy erupted when Hanks reprised his 2016 Black Jeopardy! sketch, once again portraying a Trump supporter in a way critics have called stereotypical.
Megyn Kelly was among those who took issue with the performance, blasting Hanks for alienating his audience.
‘I’m sure [Tom Hanks] is worth a billion dollars… And you know who got it for him?’ she asked rhetorically on The Megyn Kelly Show on Tuesday.
‘All of us… who went to see Forrest Gump, and Big, and all the fun Tom Hanks movies and never once thought that he was judging them as stupid, rural, worth-nothing racists.’
She continued, ‘It was shocking to see somebody who tries so carefully not to be too divisive in his choices to come right out and suggest he thinks Trump supporters are racists. Shame on him.’
Kelly was joined by journalists Matt Taibbi and Walter Kirn of America This Week to discuss the backlash and why Hanks’ return to SNL had struck a nerve among the public.
Megyn Kelly unleashed on Tom Hanks for mocking ‘racist’ MAGA supporters on SNL
Controversy erupted when Tom Hanks reprised his 2016 Black Jeopardy! sketch, once again portraying a Trump supporter in a way critics have called offensive and stereotypical
Hanks stepped back into the role of ‘Doug,’ a white contestant on the fictional game show, donning a red MAGA hat and speaking in a thick Southern accent, who performs surprisingly well on a mock game show called Black Jeopardy.
The original 2016 sketch surprised viewers by highlighting common ground between Doug and his Black competitors, despite their cultural differences.
In the new version, Eddie Murphy, Tracy Morgan and Leslie Jones took the stage, with Hanks making a brief appearance to identify a photo of ‘Church Lady,’ a classic Dana Carvey character.
At the end of the sketch, Hanks, in character, remarked, ‘Speaking of church, can I say something? If more people went to church, we wouldn’t be in this mess we’re in now.’
Kenan Thompson’s host character responded, ‘You know what? I agree with you, Doug,’ before offering a handshake — mirroring the 2016 skit where a reluctant Doug hesitated before finally shaking hands.
Online critics quickly condemned the portrayal, accusing SNL of reviving tired stereotypes about Trump supporters.
Taibbi argued the characterization was lazy and reductive.
‘This is an old trope in media and in comedy. It is the urban sophisticate who is picking on the rural hayseed,’ he said.
Online critics quickly condemned the portrayal, accusing SNL of reviving tired stereotypes about Trump supporters
Hanks stepped back into the role of ‘Doug,’ a white contestant on the fictional game show, donning a red MAGA hat and speaking in a thick Southern accent, who performs surprisingly well on a mock game show called Black Jeopardy
‘But you have to be accurate… The caricature has to be… true in some way, and not just some stereotyped idea that you picked up by not observing people in real life… It is not funny because it is just a stereotype.’
Kirn was even more blunt, questioning why Hanks would participate in what he saw as a poorly written and unnecessary revival.
‘I didn’t know that Tom Hanks would stoop to this kind of thing,’ he said. ‘It is terrible writing, it was a terrible skit, and he was the big loser. I see people all over social media going, ‘I don’t think I’m going to be watching him again anytime soon.’
Notable SNL alum Victoria Jackson also voiced her disapproval of Tom Hank’s MAGA sketch.
Jackson slammed it as ‘stupid’, also stating she took offense with the sexual vulgarity displayed during the show.
The actress, who is also a Trump supporter, cited an X post made by former Robert F. Kennedy Jr. aide Link Lauren which slams the MAGA sketch.
Jackson said the X post captures her feelings on the matter.
Link’s post read: ‘Tom Hanks just came out on SNL in a MAGA hat for a bit where he acted like he didn’t want to shake a black man’s hand.
‘This show wonders why their ratings are in the gutter. Trump won the popular vote. This tired trope that MAGA is racist is disgusting. SNL is an unfunny show for snobbish liberal elites. The current Republican Party is a big tent coalition compromised of many former Democrats. Good riddance, SNL!’
SNL alum Victoria Jackson has a bone to pick with Tom Hank’s MAGA sketch after the actor reprised his role as a Trump supporter for Saturday Night Live’s 50th anniversary special
Jackson observed a former cast member beside her laughing at the ‘crude jokes’, and sarcastically told the publication that the anniversary special looked to have something for everyone.
However, she noted, ‘Did anyone make fun of the Kamala supporters?!’
