Chris Rock returned to Saturday Night Live with a no-holds-barred opening monologue, that targeted figures across the political spectrum.

The veteran comedian, who hosted SNL on Saturday night, made jokes about Donald Trump, Bill Clinton and liberals concerned about the new presidency, earning praise for one of the season’s most memorable openings.

Rock opened by addressing the current political climate. “There’s a lot going on in the news, my God, it’s so crazy out there,” he began, before commenting on what he called a “bad year” for black Americans and referencing Kamala Harris’ election loss.

However, Rock didn’t spare President-elect Donald Trump either, saying, “Trump had a good year, man… Trump survived an assassination attempt, won the presidency again by winning the popular vote, and was just named Time man of the year.”

While mocking liberals who were shocked by Trump’s win, Rock suggested that presidential scandals are nothing new. “Come on, man, this is not the most dignified job in the world,” he quipped. “We’ve had presidents show up to the inauguration with pregnant slaves, OK? And I’m just talking about Bill Clinton,” a joke that drew gasps from the audience.

The punchline seemed to allude to Clinton’s past scandals, including the Monica Lewinsky affair, while also hinting at the longstanding history of morally questionable behavior among U.S. presidents, including Thomas Jefferson’s relationship with Sally Hemings. Rock tied the commentary back to the broader American experience, saying, “You know how many rapists are in my wallet right now? A cup of coffee in America costs seven rapists. Trump’s going to get it down to three.”

Rock also joked about Trump’s plans for immigration enforcement, suggesting the president-elect would team up with “the richest African American in the world, Elon Musk,” referencing Musk’s South African roots.

“They’re going to put [immigrants] in a rocket ship—call it ‘SpaceMex,’” Rock said, riffing on Musk’s SpaceX company and U.S. border debates.

The comedian wrapped up by turning his focus to President Joe Biden’s recent pardon of his son, Hunter Biden. “I gotta hand it to Joe,” Rock said, “he don’t move as fast as he used to, he don’t talk as fast as he used to, but that middle finger still works.” He then quipped, “Only an animal would not pardon your son. Every parent in the world would pardon their son, except the parents of the Menendez Brothers.”

Fans celebrated Rock’s return to SNL, with viewers calling the monologue one of the best of the season. Comments flooded social media praising his balanced approach and sharp delivery, with one viewer noting, “Chris Rock making SNL great again.”

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Article by Hyoju An

Hyoju An has been a writer for uInterview.com since September 2024.

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