The cast of “Saturday Night Live” this weekend had some fun at the expense of 2016 Republican candidate Ben Carson and his recent comments on Syrian refugees.
Last week while speaking in Alabama, Carson compared refugees fleeing Syria’s years-long civil war to “rabid” dogs. On the prospect of those refugees coming to the United States, Carson said, “… if there’s a rabid dog running around your neighborhood, you’re probably not gonna assume something good about that dog. And you’re probably gonna put your children out of the way.” The candidate continued, “[That] doesn’t mean that you hate all dogs, by any stretch of the imagination.”
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“SNL” cast member Jay Pharoah, who’s known for his impressions, took on the role of Carson on Saturday night. Lampooning the candidate’s low-key nature and quiet voice, “Carson” apologized for seeming agitated and warned viewers they may need to turn the sound down on the their televisions.
When asked how he would separate Christian refugees from Muslim refugees, Pharoah impersonating Carson said, “Weeding out Islamists would be simple. First we’d say, ‘You can’t come into this country until I see you eat bacon while singing a Christmas carol.’”
The joke continued, “Or all refugees would be given Mad Libs with the phrase: death to blank. Anyone who writes America won’t be allowed inside America.”
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In the skit, Carson was appearing on “SNL”‘s version of the FOX News Channel’s morning show, “FOX and Friends.” To illustrate the problem of Syrian refugees “streaming over our border,” the FOX hosts — played by SNL cast members Taran Killam, Vanessa Bayer, and Bobby Moynihan — showed footage of shoppers on Black Friday at a Walmart.
Finally correcting the error, Vanessa Bayer — playing the role of FOX host Elisabeth Hasselbeck — said she was upset about all the special treatment given to Black Friday. “I’m just going to come out and say it, all Fridays matter.”
The NBC show also poked fun at DNC chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz who was played by “SNL”‘s Kate McKinnon in the skit.
Nick Ramsey
Nick Ramsey is a senior producer with MSNBC’s “The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell.”