This week, Saturday Night Live brought back the talk show Oops, you did it again, presented by Britney Spears of Chloe Fineman and sponsored (fictitious) by Georgia – “voted the best place not to vote”, according to Fineman – to deal with the news of the week in its open cold.
A guest list – Chris Redd as rapper Lil Nas X, Kate McKinnon as the loving skunk of the cartoon Pepé Le Pew and Pete Davidson as the Florida representative, Matt Gaetz, tormented by the scandal – appeared on the talk show in a sketch comedy show to discuss their controversies and be found innocent or “not so innocent” by Fineman.
“My first guest tonight was attacked by the rare combination of the Catholic Church and Nike,” Fineman announces when Redd, wearing red braids and a pentagram necklace, takes the stage.
As Aja Romano de Vox explained, Lil Nas X “started the first 21st century foray into Satanic Panic by selling blood-infused Nikes” and giving Satan an erotic dance in a video clip of his new song, “Montero (Call Me by Your name) ”, last month.
Since then, as the New York Times wrote last week, Lil Nas X has been at the center of a storm of outrage from the right, “casually, but completely crushing the ruddy ream of Twitter” by tweeting about it – including the Dakota governor South Kristi Noem.
“People are afraid of me because I’m different,” says Lil Nas X of Redd, “but I’m really just the typical black rap country tennis player. I put on my pants like everyone else, one guy without a butt at a time. “
At the invitation of Fineman, Redd also gives a lap dance to God – “just to balance things” – before Fineman introduces his next guest: Kate McKinnon with a French accent, a cigarette holder and a bulky skunk costume, in the character of Looney Tunes Pepé Le Pew character.
It was reported last month that Pepé Le Pew would not reprise his original Space Jam appearance in the next film Space Jam: a new legacystarring LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers.
“If you think I’m a problem,” McKinnon tells Fineman, “the troubled Looney Tune, I have two words for you: Speedy Gonzales. And you didn’t hear that from me, but the FBI is 90 percent sure that Yosemite Sam was in the riots on Capitol Hill. “
McKinnon also apologizes for Pepé Le Pew’s previous behavior in cartoons, which New York Times columnist Charles Blow wrote “normalized rape culture” in a column last month discussing racism in children’s culture.
“I know that Pepé loves women, but what Pepé needs to do now is to listen to women. And, of course, I’m on treatment for sex addiction, ”says McKinnon.
Pete Davidson as Gaetz – presented by Fineman as “a hot mess; as we would say today, a complete sexual plague ”- is the last guest in the draft.
“My name is Matt Gaetz. Like Bill Gates, but with az at the end, as a legal version for teenagers, ”said Davidson before trying to go back on the subject.
Real-world Gaetz, a fervent pro-Trump House member, is facing charges of sex trafficking after the New York Times reported last week that Bill Barr’s Justice Department opened an investigation still underway last year to see whether Gaetz was involved in a sexual relationship with a 17 year old man who traveled with him across state boundaries.
Gaetz also faces several other charges, including alleged use of illegal drugs and payment of women for sex. CNN reported last week that Gaetz “has shown off to other lawmakers [in Congress] photos and videos of naked women he said he slept with, “a claim that Davidson describes to Fineman as” not a crime … just horrible! “
“I don’t know Matt,” says Spears of Fineman. “I think I can spot a teenage predator when I see one. After all, I was at the Mickey Mouse Club! “
Davidson also tries to compare himself to Pepé Le Pew by McKinnon and offers to do a lap dance to dispel tension, but he is rejected in both cases.
“If you get close to me,” says Lil Nas X of Redd, “remember that I have friends from hip-hop and friends from country, the two populations that are guaranteed to have weapons.”
Ultimately, Fineman deems Lil Nas X innocent and Pepé Le Pew “not so innocent”. Regarding Gaetz, she says: “I’m not legally allowed to call you innocent or guilty, so I’m just going to encourage everyone to judge you by his face.”
“Uh-oh,” Davidson speaks bluntly before the cast declares that “live from New York, it’s Saturday night!”