Rob Schneider Says ‘Saturday Night Live’ Overt Liberal Politics Hurt Its Comedy

Actor Rob Schneider, a former Saturday Night Live cast member, has taken issue with the left-leaning politics of his former television home, saying its overt approach to satire makes things “less interesting.”

Speaking to the New York Daily News, Schneider said SNL is less funny because it wears its political heart on its sleeve. Schneider was part of SNL when Mike Myers, Chris Rock and Adam Sandler were also on board, a period considered particularly strong for the long-running, late night comedy romp.

“The fun of ‘Saturday Night Live’ was always you never knew which way they leaned politically,” he told the Daily News. “You kind of assumed they would lean more left and liberal, but now the cat’s out of the bag they are completely against Trump, which I think makes it less interesting because you know the direction the piece is going.”

Schneider, who currently stars in Netflix’s reality show Real Rob, also found Alec Baldwin’s portrayals of President Donald Trump particularly vexing. He compared Baldwin unfavorably with Dana Carvey’s imitations of President H.W. Bush, who Schneider felt skewered with a touch of affection.

“Carvey played it respectfully,” Schneider said. “To me, the genius of Dana Carvey was Dana always had empathy for the people he played, and Alec Baldwin has nothing but a fuming, seething anger toward the person he plays.” Schneider said Baldwin is “hard to watch. Alec Baldwin is a brilliant actor… he’s not a comedian.” He added: “I don’t find his impression to be comical. Because, like I said, I know the way his politics lean and it spoils any surprise. There’s no possible surprise. He so clearly hates the man he’s playing.”

Schneider claims to be politically independent and feels today’s partisan politics is particularly ugly. “Literally, if you don’t go the party line — you’re out. There’s a real ugliness to it,” he said.

While Schneider won’t reveal whether he is a Trump supporter, he did not that attacks on the president won’t produce results. “Nothing good can come from making Trump nervous,” Schneider said. “It’s like asking Bill Cosby to top off your drink.”

Schneider later took to Twitter to amplify his remarks:

Related stories

'Fox & Friends': Michelle Wolf "Going To Get More Famous" After WHCD Gig

Michelle Wolf's WHCD Performance "Big Win" For Donald Trump: 'Morning Joe'

Ana Navarro: Give Nobel Peace Prize To Michelle Wolf For WHCD Gig

Get more from Deadline.com: Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Newsletter