SNL Calls Out Alum Al Franken in Wake of Sexual Harassment Scandal
After labeling four-time host Louis C.K. a “sex monster” during the Nov. 11 edition of Weekend Update, Saturday Night Live this weekend turned its attention to former writer and cast member, Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.), who earlier this week was accused of sexual harassment.
Franken’s accuser, Leeann Tweeden, alleged that the SNL alum forcibly kissed her during a USO tour back in 2006. She also released a photo that appeared to show him groping her while she was sleeping. He has since issued an apology, which she has accepted. He has also called on Congress to conduct a proper ethics investigation into his behavior.
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“Now, I know this photo looks bad, but remember, it also is bad,” Colin Jost cracked. “And sure, this was taken before Franken ran for public office, but it was also taken after he was a sophomore in high school. It’s pretty hard to be, like, ‘Come on, he didn’t know better. He was only 55.’
“Tweeden is also claiming that Franken forced her to kiss him as part of a rehearsal for a comedy sketch that they were performing for the troops,” Jost continued. “Come on, man. Didn’t the troops in Afghanistan have it hard enough without having to sit through sketch comedy? I mean, people can barely stay up to watch sketches after Weekend Update.”
Jost then turned it over to Michael Che.
“Without even looking, you can bet that President Trump called out Al Franken and not Roy Moore, who’s accused of way worse, by the way,” Che interjected. “But Franken is a liberal and Trump and Moore are conservatives, and in this country, everybody has to pick a side — except for me. I think they’re all bitches. I don’t even know which side I would be on if I had to pick. Maybe I’m liberal because I do live in a gay neighborhood. But then maybe I’m conservative because I never want to live in a black neighborhood again.
“Also, why are Republicans trying so hard to protect Roy Moore in this case? It’s not like he wrote the remix to ‘Ignition,'” Che continued, alluding to R. Kelly.
Update went on to reference sexual harassment allegations made against Wisdom of the Crowd star Jeremy Piven, with Jost deadpanning, “the allegations were revealed in the shocking documentary Entourage.”
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SNL‘s Franken commentary comes just one day after Real Time host Bill Maher referred to Franken’s actions as “very disturbing,” but pleaded that he not be “lumped in” with the likes of Roy Moore, Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey and President Donald Trump.
What did you think of SNL‘s Al Franken commentary? Sound off below.
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