"Saturday Night Live" has done a cold opening parody of Donald Trump since his election. This past Saturday, they did not feature Alec Baldwin and instead celebrated Mother's Day. All of the cast had their mothers on during the "SNL" cold opening and actually bashed the show and its focus on politics.
Are they softening on their Trump bashing? After this week's show, it would seem that they are softening. They have not announced anything, so it could be just a one-week hiatus. Tune in next week to see if Alec Baldwin returns for the cold opening.
'SNL' cold opening
That was their cold opening from last week's show airing on May 12, 2018. The show is scripted, so they are not the final authority in terms of what is aired. It was a complete change this week. It was almost like a small revolt from the actors on the show.
"Saturday Night Live" has been imitating presidents for years. Donald Trump is not the first one. In the recent past the president has not been featured every week on their cold opening. Even the "Weekend Update" seemed to change their stance on Trump.
'Weekend Update'
This week on "Weekend Update," they actually praised Trump. They said that he had a good week. They still made jokes about him. In the past, they have not praised Trump for anything.
They were even making jokes about other people during this sketch.
The week prior they started with Trump and stayed the course with joke after joke. They did not praise him at all.
From one week to the next, they completely changed their stance. Next week will be the true test. Only time will tell. "Saturday Night Live" is not the only thing in Hollywood changing its tune on Trump, however.
Jimmy Kimmel
Jimmy Kimmel is getting ready for the ABC upfront. An upfront is a roast by the network making fun of themselves. It is an annual event that all networks do every year. He has been doing an upfront for fifteen years.
He was asked about his upcoming upfront on Deadline Hollywood's website. The question was about Donald Trump and this being his first upfront of the Trump era.
He missed last year's upfront due to his son's heart surgery. He responded by saying, “I think people have had an a**-full of Donald Trump, and I feel like the upfront is a time to look within and make fun of ourselves.” He has been really critical of Donald Trump in the past.
His jokes will focus on the people at the network. He could not guarantee a Trump-free night from anyone else, but he is going to refrain from telling Trump jokes himself.
It sounds like Hollywood is softening on Donald Trump. Jimmy Kimmel seems like he is finished with his jokes, although we will see when he starts filming again. "Saturday Night Live" could have just given it up for the weekend. It remains to be seen whether they revert back to the pre-Mother's Day sketches or continue with the new, softer version of "Saturday Night Live."
