Unsurprisingly, Bill Burr’s opening set on Saturday Night Live focused on Donald Trump’s historic return to the White House, with one fan calling his monologue one of SNL’s “funniest ever” .
Burr began by talking about other topics before moving on to “what everyone wants to talk about.”
His first joke was directed at Kamala Harris and Hillary Clinton, who lost to Trump, and perhaps at the women who didn’t show up to put Harris on top in 2024.
‘Alright ladies, you’re 0-2 against this guy. 0-2! But you learn more from your losses than from your victories. So let’s get into the game tape,” Burr said.
Burr’s next point was that women who run for high political office do not win by “having respect” for themselves and wearing pantsuits.
Bill Burr hosted Saturday Night Live this weekend. During his opening monologue, he addressed Donald Trump’s historic return to the presidency.
—You don’t win office through politics, you know? You have to improve it a little!’ he shouted to the audience. “I’m not saying go to Hooters completely, but find the middle ground between Applebee’s and your dad didn’t stay.”
Burr continued to criticize feminists whom he equated with “ugly women.”
She insisted that female candidates should “mock” male voters, especially those in rural areas where Harris fared worse.
“Making a farmer feel like he has a chance,” Burr joked.
For many viewers, Burr won them over with his opening monologue.
‘This is the funniest performance I’ve ever done. I usually can’t stand a second,” one person commented. the clip.
‘Woke is dead!! Bill is hilarious!!’ another wrote.
Another put it simply: “He’s the best.”
Burr burned both Trump and Kamala Harris during his routine. He mocked Harris for being the second woman to lose to Trump and then joked that Trump’s “jerky, jerky movements” probably saved him from being fatally shot at his July 13 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Burr eventually went on to express his frustration with the length of election campaigns in the United States, saying he was “so excited that this stupid election is finally over.”
He also seemed baffled by how someone could be an undecided voter when Trump and Harris were “polar opposite people.”
‘Let’s see, what does the orange fan have to say? How about the real estate agent who talks through his nose? This is so hard! The overlap, I just can’t decide!’
His next topic was the attempted assassination of Trump at his July 13 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Burr said he couldn’t believe momentum didn’t swing completely in Trump’s favor after the attempt on his life, before joking that his “jerky movements” probably saved him from being fatally shot.
There has been much discussion about how Trump moved his head slightly just as the bullet from the would-be assassin’s gun flew toward him. Many believe that that’s why they only grazed his ear.
‘That guy is a lunatic. He literally got shot and immediately jumped back up and started screaming in the direction the bullets were coming from unarmed. “That’s not a sane human being,” he said.
Trump raised his fist in the air and shouted “fight!” after being shot by a possible assassin during the demonstration
Burr also mocked the Trump dance he has been doing at rallies since 2020, where he waves his arms, most often to the tune of YMCA by the Village People.
The dance has spawned countless memes, but so have Trump’s many political stunts, including his brief stint working at a McDonald’s in suburban Philadelphia.
Watching Trump dress in an apron and hand out fries to people along the way was Burr’s favorite part of the campaign.
‘Wasn’t that amazing? That was the only time I ever saw that guy really happy,” Burr said. He was beaming. When he got behind the counter, it was like he was backstage at Springsteen or something.
‘He says, “Oh my God, this is where they make the fries!” And he was putting a couple of extras in one and said, “Hey, whoever gets this one is going to be excited.” Oh my god, was that empathy? Other people, Donald?
“It’s like when the Grinch came down the hill carrying the toys and his heart got a little bigger.”
Burr joked about Trump’s political stunt at a McDonald’s in Pennsylvania, something he did to troll Harris since she claimed to have worked at the fast food restaurant but couldn’t produce evidence.
Trump waved to the crowd through the serving window during his shift at the restaurant.
There were others online who criticized Burr’s performance, with some saying it was disappointing and others criticizing him for his supposed hatred of Trump.
‘No, he missed the target. Just another Hollyweirdo who hates Trump,” one wrote.
“It started out good, then lost steam quickly,” said another.
“As someone who grew up watching SNL and enjoys comedy, it was huh,” wrote a third.
SNL’s cold open received a noticeably colder response than Burr’s act.
The sketch began on an unusually serious note: cast members solemnly reflecting on the election result.
“For many people, including many people who were watching this show right now, the results were shocking and even horrifying,” Ego Nwodim said.
But as the script progressed, the sketch eventually took a humorous turn and divided some viewers.
‘Hot Jacked Trump,’ played by James Austin Johnson, premiered Saturday as SNL’s new ‘flattering’ take on the future president.
Dana Carvey’s Elon Musk jumped on stage and shouted ‘I run the country now’
After listing several reasons why people may be concerned about Trump’s presidency, Kenan Thompson said, “We at SNL would like to tell Donald Trump that we’ve been with you all along.”
Cast members spent the rest of the nearly five-minute segment sarcastically praising Trump, which didn’t sit well with some MAGA-supporting SNL watchers.
‘What a load of shit they do. They try to make it funny while making fun of us,’ someone on X reacted.
Another user wrote: “I hope Elon Musk buys SNL and makes it fun again.”
This was likely in response to Dana Carvey’s comedic portrayal of the Tesla CEO towards the end of the post-election message.
After Thompson referred to Musk as “the other man we love and trust,” Carvey jumped around the stage, pumping his fists in the air and dancing while shouting “it’s okay!”
Trump’s own interpretation in the comedy show also premiered, with James Austin Johnson playing ‘Hot jacked Trump’.
More critically, several commenters also discussed the phrase “save Trump” that is said twice throughout the sketch, with one saying that the cast is “continuing their incessant scaremongering and Nazi rhetoric about a Trump presidency.”