Tom Hanks has stirred up controversy among Donald Trump supporters with his portrayal of a MAGA-supporting character named ‘Doug’ during Saturday Night Live’s 50th anniversary special.
On Sunday, February 16, numerous celebrities made their way to New York to join the celebration of SNL’s significant milestone.
The star-studded guest list included the likes of Meryl Streep, Martin Short, Jack Nicholson, and Aubrey Plaza, all there to honor the comedy show’s five decades of entertainment.
Among the attendees was Tom Hanks, who took part in a skit that has sparked backlash from Trump supporters.
In the skit, Hanks wore a red ‘Make America Great Again’ cap and portrayed a character named Doug on a parody segment called Black Jeopardy.
Kenan Thompson, the host of the parody show, attempted to shake Doug’s hand, but Doug initially hesitated.
Doug eventually extended his hand, commenting, “Don’t like that, whoa, whoa, whoa. Maybe I’ll start a show for you to come on and we’ll call it White Jeopardy.”
Following the skit’s broadcast, many Trump supporters took to Twitter to express their disapproval.
One tweet read, “Tom Hanks went on SNL dressed like a slob mocking millions of Trump supporters – portraying them as dumb, racist, rednecks. Keep it up libs. You’ll never win another election again.”
Link Lauren, a former advisor to Robert F. Kennedy Jr, tweeted: “Tom Hanks just came out on SNL in a MAGA hat for a bit where he acted like he didn’t want to shake a black man’s hand. This show wonders why their ratings are in the gutter. Trump won the popular vote. This tired trope that MAGA is racist is disgusting. SNL is an unfunny show for snobbish liberal elites. The current Republican Party is a big tent coalition comprised of many former Democrats. Good riddance, SNL!”
Another Trump supporter commented: “No one in the audience laughs as Tom Hanks appears on SNL as a racist Trump supporter that refuses to shake hands with a black man,” while someone else added: “This makes me mad. SNL ran a skit tonight w/Tom Hanks as a MAGA racist…he literally recoils when a black game show host reaches to shake hands.”