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Kendrick Lamar Named Checked In SNL “Black Jeopardy” Skit; MAGA Is Furious
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Kenan Thompson kicked off Saturday Night Live’s 50th-anniversary special with a sharp-witted quip about Kendrick Lamar as his game show host character, Darnell Hayes, welcomed audiences to another edition of “Black Jeopardy.”
“The only Jeopardy! where every single Black viewer fully understood Kendrick’s halftime performance,” Thompson joked, earning instant laughter from the crowd.
The comment was a slick nod to the ongoing conversation about Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl LIX Halftime performance.
Some saw Kendrick Lamar’s set as a powerful statement on racial injustice and cultural identity and defended it as a celebration of Black artistry on one of the world’s biggest stages.
Some conservative detractors criticized it as unpatriotic, while Kid Rock labeled the performance DEI turned into an “IED.”
The “Black Jeopardy” sketch on Saturday Night Live’s 50th anniversary featured notable legends Tracy Morgan, Leslie Jones, Eddie Murphy, Chris Rock, and actor Tom Hanks.
While the opening joke set the tone for the sketch, the rest of the segment has supporters of Donald Trump fuming.
At the heart of the controversy was the return of Tom Hanks in the role of Doug, the MAGA-hat-wearing contestant first introduced in 2016. After Doug correctly answered a question about the white “Church Lady,” he ranted about faith.
“If more folks went to church, we wouldn’t be in this mess we are in now,” Doug said. But he is reluctant to shake Doug’s hand, who then offers to start a new show, “White Jeopardy.”
The original sketch, which garnered over 83 million views on SNL’s YouTube channel, had been widely praised for its satirical approach.
However, this time, some viewers found the humor had lost its edge, while others took issue with what they perceived as a mockery of Trump supporters.
Online backlash was swift, with critics calling Tom Hanks’ portrayal “racist and disgusting.”
Some conservative commentators claimed the segment misrepresented their beliefs, portraying them as out of touch with Black culture.
Once upon a time Tom Hanks seemed relevant. https://t.co/fu5oleCmrO
— Defund FBI & IRS (@JamesKe33691032) February 17, 2025
Tom Hanks is a sad pathetic communist radical Democrat pedophile just like most of these losers that come out of Hollywood
— BigPapaChooChoo (@BigPapaChooCh00) February 17, 2025
@tomhanks it sounds like a class action lawsuit should be filed against you, Tom Hanks for your SNL accusations of Trump‘s MAGA being racist. Actually, we are the opposite.. all we believe in is the constitution and we also believe each person no matter what their color or race,…
— Golda (@oldtown29) February 17, 2025
Tom Hanks, dressed as a MAGA supporter on SNL acting as he’s afraid to shake a black man’s hand, pushing the LIE that MAGA equals racism. This portrayal is not just ignorant; it’s laughably out of touch. The Left, like Hanks, clings to a narrative painting MAGA as white… pic.twitter.com/xVuxpXgrwM
— ꪻꫝể ꪻꫝể (@TheThe1776) February 17, 2025
Tom Hanks just insulted half of Americans.
I’ve never met a MAGA that acts the way the left portrays us.
Have you?
pic.twitter.com/IYuZKBu1e4— Doug 🇺🇸 (@ProudPatriot247) February 17, 2025
Tom Hanks SNL skit is his Bud Light moment. He has lost millons of fans who will never support him again. @tomhanks @MAGA
— Perry Adams (@PTATC01) February 17, 2025
I’d love to see Tom Hanks try to make fun of these MAGA “rednecks” to their face. He wouldn’t have many teeth left
— Golden Goose (@veep50) February 17, 2025