SNL at Home Video: Brad Pitt (!) Plays Dr. Anthony Fauci — Watch Cold Open

Ryan Schwartz
·2 min read

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Dr. Anthony Fauci got his wish this weekend when Oscar winner Brad Pitt made a surprise appearance on Saturday Night Live.

The Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood star made his debut as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases during the cold open. His casting comes on the heels of an April 10 interview that the real Fauci did with CNN, in which he was asked who he’d want to play him on SNL, if needed. “Oh, Brad Pitt,” he jokingly answered. “Of course.”

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In the sketch, Pitt’s Fauci sat down to address “some liberties” that President Trump has taken when discussing potential treatments for the coronavirus — including injecting one’s self with household disinfectants.

“I know I shouldn’t be touching my face, but…,” he said, completely dumbfounded by Trump’s remark. “Now, there is a rumor that the president is going to fire me… So yeah, I’m getting fired. But until then, I’m going to be there, putting out the facts for whoever is listening. And when I hear things like, ‘The virus can be cured if everyone takes the Tide Pod challenge,’ I’ll be there to say, ‘Please don’t.'”

Pitt then removed his wig to address the real Fauci. “Thank you for your calm and your clarity in this unnerving time,” he said. “And thank you to the medical workers, first responders and their families, for being on the front line.”

This weekend marked the second remote installment of SNL since the coronavirus pandemic forced the late-night sketch comedy series to halt production. The first episode aired on April 11, and featured surprise host Tom Hanks and musical guest Chris Martin. Additional guest stars included SNL staples Larry David (as recent presidential dropout Bernie Sanders) and Alec Baldwin (who called into Weekend Update as President Trump). That episode also paid tribute to Michael Che’s grandmother and SNL music producer Hal Willner, both of whom died from COVID-19.

What did you think of Brad Pitt’s turn as Dr. Fauci? And what did you think of SNL‘s second “At Home” edition overall? Weigh in via the following poll, then hit the comments with your reactions.

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