Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris was featured in Saturday Night Live’s traditional cold open this past weekend. The episode, hosted by comedian John Mulaney, was the last episode before the presidential election on Tuesday.
Harris appeared for about ninety seconds with Maya Rudolf, who plays her in the show’s political sketches. In this sketch, Rudolph sits in front of a mirror -- her reflection is the actual Harris sitting across from her.
Nike Taylor, a master’s student studying postsecondary education and student affairs, said she did not expect the appearance given Harris’s campaign schedule.
“I was pleasantly surprised,” Taylor said. “I did not think she would have the time in the world for SNL considering everything she’s going through right now, but I thought it was a smart move for her.”
But Donald Trump supporters didn’t like it. Federal Communications Commissioner Brendan Carr, who was nominated to his position by Trump, complained claiming that the appearance violated the FCC’s equal time rule.
The rule says networks who air the likeness or voice of a candidate must offer equivalent air time to other candidates who request it.
In response, NBC gave the Trump campaign time to air messages for free Sunday at the end of a NASCAR race and after an NFL game.
Marcela Lopez, a freshman majoring in industrial and systems engineering, said SNL has a broader reach than either of the other two.
“People are always gonna be fans of like comedy,” Lopez said. “It’s just kind of a general thing that people like, whereas NASCAR and NFL, that’s low-key targeted toward like a more male audience.”
Democratic former vice-presidential candidate and Virginia senator Tim Kaine also appeared in a sketch over the weekend. His opponent in the U.S. Senate race also received an offer of free air time but turned it down.
Julia Ho, a sophomore majoring in public relations and advertising and in comparative literature, said Saturday’s show provided an opportunity for Harris to reach older voters
“SNL has such a wide, varied audience, so besides just reaching Gen Z it’s also reaching older audiences who are more in tune to Saturday Night Live, and are more likely to be watching televised shows like that,” Ho said.
Back before the 2016 election, both Trump and opponent Hillary Clinton appeared on SNL.