“Saturday Night Live’s” newest cast member, Michael Longfellow, started his first season of the skit comedy show by tearing into the unvaccinated and his conservative family.
Longfellow joined Colin Jost and Michael Che in the “Weekend Update” segment of the show, telling Jost that his family are from Arizona, and that “if you can get in trouble for what your parents think, it’s been a good run.” He went on to say that his father is against receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, but doesn’t feel the need to distance himself from his father.
“You shouldn’t cut anti-vax people out of your life. They could be dead tomorrow,” Longfellow explained to Jost, which was met with awkward, dark laughter. “Spend time with them. Call them. Get in the will.” Despite shaming his parents on his first-ever national television appearance, Longfellow did seem to make fun of himself a little.
When he found out his father was voting for Trump, Longfellow told him “you keep going down this path, I might have to pay for my own car insurance next year.” While the joke was funny, there was just something a little off about his delivery. (RELATED: Woody Harrelson And Bill Maher Get High AF And Rip Apart ‘Big Government’ And ‘Big Pharma’)
Sure, he was probably nervous, but the entire thing felt like an audition for Jost’s seat at SNL. He even called out Jost for being a Republican, despite Jost referring to himself as a “Bill Maher Liberal.”
Like the rest of the season premiere, Longfellow didn’t really seem to know who or what he wanted to mock or enjoy. The only jokes that worked were the ones at his own expense, but overall, it was an awkward introduction to what is probably going to be a grim season for the show that no longer knows what it is.
No wonder so many cast members bailed before this thing aired. You can watch the full segment here: