The opening scene began with SNL player Mikey Day assuming the part of Michigan state Rep. Steven Johnson (R) who introduced the hearing thusly: “It is my honor and also one of the great horrors of my life to welcome President Trump’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani.”
SNL’s famed chameleon Kate McKinnon then took over as a bald (and very flatulent) Giuliani. “It’s great to be in a courtroom where I’m not the defendant,” she said.
McKinnon-as-Giuliani then swore that he and Trump would overturn illegal votes in “Georgylvania,” “Pennsachusettes,” and “North Dacanada.” When Rep. Johnson countered that the campaign’s voter fraud claims were based on “zero actual evidence,” Giuliani brought in his “highly intelligent, barely intoxicated” eyewitnesses.
First at-bat was Cecily Strong as a dead ringer for the real life Carone with black frame glasses, a blonde messy top knot and a business-y blazer.
“I personally saw hundreds, if not thousands, of dead people vote,” she said. “I remember because I was walking out and they were walking in. And then they gave their votes to Democrats, and then you probably did something crazy with them, didn’t you?”
“I don’t handle ballots, and I’m a Republican,” answered Johnson.
“Then you’re literally useless. You have no use. Did you check every poll? Did you talk to all the dead people?” she asked before making it clear that she wasn’t lying because she signed an “after David.” (“David signed, and then I signed right after David.”)
Giuliani’s next witness claimed she ate ballots served from a food truck. After that the My Pillow guy (as depicted by Beck Bennett) showed up to deliver an impromptu commercial claiming Democrats could hide over a million fake ballots in a pillow “and still get a good night’s sleep refreshed and ready to steal an election.” The most surprising special guest came in the form of Nicole Kidman’s character from HBO’s “The Undoing” (played by Chloe Fineman) who claimed her husband Hugh Grant was innocent because he was “too hot and white.”
And no sendup of Michigan state politics would be complete without a cameo from two protesters who wanted a do-over — not of the election but of their attempt to kidnap the state’s governor, whom they planned to lock away in a basement and yell at.
Political players weren’t the only targets for SNL, though, as the comedy show turned the tables a few sketches later to tackle its own issues. The night’s musical act, country star Morgan Wallen, had originally been scheduled to appear in early October but was dropped for that show after videos appeared online of the 27-year-old partying maskless in Alabama a week before his performance.
The scene began with Wallen as himself at a bar with a big fan who wants video of the pair kissing. He agrees only if she promises not to post it on social media (and we all know how that turned out). Jason Bateman then appears as Wallen from one month in the future, trying to save the rising country star from himself.
“Trust me,” says Bateman-as-Wallen, “someone’s going to post a video of you ignoring covid protocols and the whole Internet is going to freak out.”
“No,” says the real Wallen, “I specifically asked her not to post it.”
“I thought it was an airtight approach as well,” counters Bateman.
Toward the end of the sketch, Pete Davidson appears, but not as another future Morgan: He’s just some random dude at the infamous party who predicts that despite Wallen’s throw-covid-to-the-wind hard partying, SNL will still have the country artist on “two months later, I promise. There aren’t too many people willing to fly to New York right now.”
