Will SNL Cave to Pressure to Boot Donald Trump?
Pressure is mounting from various groups, including a congressman, seeking to have Donald Trump banned from hosting Saturday Night Live. Trump is scheduled to helm his second SNL episode next Saturday, November 7. Earlier this year when Trump made derogatory remarks about immigrants– Mexicans in particular– during his candidacy announcement, NBC had publicly stated that they were ending their business relationship with Trump. So when SNL announced Trump would host the November 7 show, many were disheartened, wondering if NBC was going back on the line they had drawn in the sand.
The pressure to ban Trump from SNL initially came from a coalition of multiple civil rights organizations who wrote a letter to Lorne Michaels soon after Trump’s appearance was announced.
Now opposition is growing from many sources including one from congress. Representative Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) is taking his concerns to NBC Universal and its parent company Comcast, citing pledges from NBCU and Comcast to make a commitment to diversity. Gutierrez addressed the floor of Congress last Wednesday with his concerns. “To put Donald Trump on the air in American living rooms on the signature comedy show of one of the most important national networks,” he said, “after saying that Mexicans are rapists, drug-dealers and criminals – that is a corporate blunder too big to be ignored.”
On Sunday, NPR columnist Eric Deggans raised questions and suggested that while SNL may have mended their reputation regarding inclusion of black performers, and black women in particular, there is a lack of inclusion at SNL of Latino performers. Currently, Deggans pointed out, there are no latino cast members and there have only been 2 in the show’s history. And according to LA Weekly, advocacy groups are planning a “SNL Dump Trump Rally,” on November 4th at 6pm, presumably somewhere in the 30 Rock area, although a location has not yet been announced.
There has been no comment yet from Lorne Michaels, or Saturday Night Live, but its safe to say that controversy is somewhat built in to the format at SNL. When cast member Nora Dunn and musical guest Sinead O’Connor boycotted SNL because they objected to Andrew Dice Clay hosting the show, Clay wasn’t cancelled. There have been many artists and performers banned from the show after their performances on SNL and based on incidents that took place on the show, but in the 40 year history nobody has been banned or cancelled from the show for being too controversial or based on events outside the show.
Donald Trump is scheduled to host Saturday Night Live on November 7.
Read more comedy news.
