Several weeks ago, Kristen Stewart hosted Saturday Night Live. The scripted sketches were fairly unremarkable, but the episode received serious buzz for its surprise elements—Kristen Stewart as a host being the strangest surprise of all. Within the first few minutes of the show, Stewart directly antagonized the President, coolly declared her homosexuality, and dropped the f-bomb. And that was just the opening monologue. I mean, Kristen Stewart fan or no, it was pretty badass.
Stewart’s tragically-cool-girl status brought a welcome new edge to the aging comedic stomping ground. A fake Totino’s commercial featuring Kristen Stewart and Vanessa Bayer as newly-awakened lesbian lovers was one of the episode’s most brilliant moments to date. It flipped the bird to the new Presidential regime with few words and a lot of tongue. It was unapologetic and feminine—a combination SNL has been rocking recently.
SNL has upped the feminist ante even further with Melissa McCarthy’s appearances as Press Secretary Sean Spicer. Trump claimed he was most offended by the fact Spicer was portrayed by a woman, making Spicer appear “weak” in Trump’s opinion.
SNL has been abusing its power over a certain hate-watcher/President for over a year now, but its rebellious voice is carried best by those who Trump refuses to take seriously: gays and women. Beautifully representing both categories is Kate McKinnon—the show’s comedic powerhouse. Following the recent election, Kate’s been a gender-bending pro, playing Kellyanne Conway and newly appointed Attorney General Jeff Sessions. With each new character, McKinnon reminds audiences why she’s the first SNL cast member to win the Emmy for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy.
At this point, Trump has come to expect Baldwin’s impressions of him. An attack from Alec Baldwin is an attack from someone of Trump’s own station: white, wealthy, male, and highly publicized. With the potency of Baldwin’s mockery wearing thin, the feminist underdogs are taking jabs at the POTUS in their own (sometimes homoerotic) fashion. Their digs are more creative—and usually in male costumes—but it seems as if their gender alone is enough to offend the Donald. Mission accomplished, Saturday Night Ladies.
http://www.politico.com/story/2017/02/melissa-mccarthy-sean-spicer-234715