EGN NEWS DESK
Former president Donald Trump’s latest foray into the enterprise of promoting his personal Bibles supplied loads of comedian fodder for “Saturday Night Live” on Easter weekend, together with a gap sketch that, for a second, appeared like a honest retelling of the resurrection of Jesus.
This weekend’s broadcast, hosted by Ramy Youssef and that includes the musical visitor Travis Scott, started with a voice-over recounting that the resurrection was witnessed by three girls “who had come to anoint the physique of Jesus and have a tendency to his tomb.”
Following an except for one of many girls performed by Sarah Sherman (who wryly noticed, “When we’re finished grieving, possibly we must always give you a lady’s identify aside from Mary”), the stone of the tomb was rolled away to disclose a glowing gentle.
“Is it Jesus?” requested one other lady, performed by Heidi Gardner.
“Basically, sure,” answered James Austin Johnson, in his recurring position as Trump. “Happy Easter, all people,” he declared as he entered. “As it was said within the Bible: ‘Guess who’s again, again once more. Shady’s again.’”
Johnson famous that it was “the time of 12 months once I examine myself to Jesus Christ,” which is “only a factor I do now, and folks appear to be OK with it.”
He continued, “And for those who assume that this can be a dangerous look, think about how bizarre it could be if I began promoting Bibles. Well, I’m promoting Bibles.”
Johnson went onto make a gross sales pitch for his Bible (“created from one hundred pc Bible”), noting, “I’m not doing this for the cash. I’m doing this for the glory of God and for pandering and largely for cash.”
He confirmed off illustrations that positioned Trump in his personal basket on the Nile alongside child Moses; within the Garden of Eden; and at Noah’s Ark, telling Noah, “Hey buddy, you forgot the raccoons.”
Before concluding his pitch with a garbled model of the Lord’s Prayer, Johnson additionally supplied clients a free Miracle Trump Toaster, which might print Trump’s face on a aspect of toast. “The different aspect does Hello Kitty,” he mentioned.
Monologue of the week
Youssef, the standup comic and star of TV’s “Ramy” and the movie “Poor Things,” started his monologue by noting, “This is an extremely non secular weekend.”
“We’re within the holy month of Ramadan,” he mentioned. “Tomorrow is Easter, and yesterday Beyoncé launched a brand new album. It’s simply so many religions celebrating .”
Youssef shared a narrative about touring to upstate New York for a present however nonetheless feeling like he was within the South.
“I might really feel the concern when my mother known as me,” he mentioned. “I didn’t need to converse Arabic. She was like, ‘Salaam alaikum, habibi.’ I used to be like, ‘Mother, peace be upon you. And the prophet. You know which prophet. The finest one, the final one.’”
Youssef additionally made enjoyable of President Biden (“Joe seems good when he’s conscious. You know these days when he simply comes out and he’s similar to thawed? Like they gave him an additional 10 within the microwave?”) and mentioned he wasn’t blissful voting for both Trump or Biden, preferring that the following president be a transgender lady.
“She’d be like, ‘Numerous politicians discuss change,’” Youssef mentioned. “You might see the bumper sticker: Real Change.”
Youssef concluded with a narrative about praying for 2 mates: one who’s combating in court docket for custody of his canine and the opposite who has members of the family in Gaza.
“My prayers are difficult,” he mentioned. “I’ve acquired so much to slot in.” He continued:
I’m like, God, please, please assist Ahmed’s household. Please cease the struggling, cease the violence. Please free the individuals of Palestine, please. Please. And please free the hostages, all of the hostages, please. And whilst you’re at it, free Mr. Bojangles. He’s a lovely canine. I’m praying for that canine.
Too many good sketches of the week
This week’s “S.N.L.” supplied a humiliation of comedic riches, a lot in order that we hoped they save one thing for coming hosts Kristen Wiig and Ryan Gosling. They included an more and more absurd sendup of “The Newlywed Game” and a music video during which the Please Don’t Destroy guys get slightly too excessive smoking weed with Scott.
That mentioned, we’d nonetheless wish to single out “Immigrant Dad Talk Show,” that includes Youssef and Marcello Hernández because the title hosts, who bond over their mutual dislike of their sons and their shared appreciation for a belt; in addition to the pretend advert selling Ozempic for Ramadan, the holiday-theme weight-loss drug whose spokesman boasts, “As lengthy as I shoot up earlier than the solar rises, it’s halal.”
Weekend Update jokes of the week
Over on the Weekend Update desk, the anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che continued to riff on Trump’s Bible gross sales and a Democratic fund-raising occasion attended by former presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, in addition to President Biden.
Jost started:
Four presidents visited New York City on the identical time on Thursday. Three to do joint fund-raiser at Radio City, and one promoting bibles door to door. Donald Trump has partnered with nation music star Lee Greenwood to promote a $60 particular version of the Bible that additionally contains the Constitution, the lyrics to Greenwood’s “God Bless the usA.,” and I assume God’s letter of resignation. This Bible is generally the identical, however Trump’s model ends with Jesus’ disciples storming Jerusalem to overturn the outcomes of the Crucifixion. Trump additionally posted this video urging his followers to purchase it. [He played a video of Trump saying, “All Americans need a Bible in their home, and I have many.”] Many? I really imagine he has many bibles. I’m positive he’s been despatched hundreds of bibles with a be aware that claims, “Please learn this.”
Che continued:
More than 5,000 individuals attended a Democratic fund-raiser at Radio City Music Hall, that includes big-name celebrities like Barack Obama, Stephen Colbert and Lizzo. As nicely as lesser-known celebrities like President Joe Biden.
Weekend Update character of the week
If there’s such a factor as owl heaven, we hope that the escaped Central Park owl Flaco, who died in February, is trying down in appreciation on the tribute paid to him by Sherman, who dressed up in a veil and a dressing up coated with feathers to play Flaco’s widow.
In addition to asking “Who?” so much, Sherman identified the awkward undeniable fact that Flaco’s post-mortem indicated that the owl had a extreme pigeon herpesvirus when it died. “And by the way in which, why was there even an post-mortem?” she requested. “When a chicken principally explodes into the aspect of a constructing, who’s like, ‘How did he die?’” When Jost tried to consolation her and Sherman misinterpreted his advances, Sherman joked that Jost may really be her sort in spite of everything: “Nocturnal predator.”
