A new analysis by the conservative media research center NewsBusters has revealed that Saturday Night Live's political jokes overwhelmingly target conservatives. The study, provided to the New York Post, examined the show's 'Weekend Update' segment and found that 91 percent of jokes during the first 19 episodes of the season were aimed at conservatives.
Weekend Update Analysis
Weekend Update, a mock news segment hosted by comedians Michael Che and Colin Jost, featured 226 political jokes in total. Of these, only 18 targeted Democrats and liberals, while three were nonpartisan. Donald Trump was the most frequent target, with 101 jokes directed at him. One of Che's jokes referenced assassination attempts on the president, comparing attending a theater to Abraham Lincoln's fate.
Top Targeted Figures
According to the study, Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was the second-most targeted figure with 14 jokes, followed by former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem (12 jokes), conservative pundit Tucker Carlson (11 jokes), and former Representative George Santos (10 jokes).
During SNL's Cold Open sketches, which parody major political events, 82 percent of the characters portrayed were Republicans. The show's cast often exaggerates political figures, such as Colin Jost's frat-boy portrayal of Pete Hegseth and Marcello Hernández's passive Marco Rubio.
Recent Sketches
In a May 2 episode, comedian Aziz Ansari guest-starred as FBI Director Kash Patel, joking about Indian stereotypes. Colin Jost's Hegseth gave a press update on the war in Iran, calling it 'the Never Ending Story.' Another sketch imagined a clash between Elon Musk, Marco Rubio, and Trump in the Oval Office, with Trump calling Rubio a 'good little Marco.'
The cast also parodied New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, with Ramy Youssef portraying him as a smiling socialist. Mamdani later shared a video laughing at the impression.
Pattern of Political Targets
SNL's political content is driven by current events, so current administration officials are typically targeted. During Joe Biden's presidency, Mikey Day and Dana Carvey impersonated Biden, and Maya Rudolph famously portrayed Kamala Harris. Harris herself appeared in a mirror sketch with Rudolph on SNL, while Trump did a similar sketch with Jimmy Fallon in 2015.
The Daily Mail has reached out to NBC for comment on the NewsBusters study.
