"Saturday Night Live" is facing accusations of copying a skit that former President Donald Trump performed with Jimmy Fallon on the "Tonight Show" in 2015, by using a similar concept for Kamala Harris's surprise appearance.
Harris decided to make a last-minute appearance on the show on Nov. 2, giving advice to a fictional version of herself, portrayed by Maya Rudolph, just three days ahead of the presidential election. In the cold open, Rudolph's Harris character ushered Andy Samberg (playing second gentleman Doug Emhoff), Jim Gaffigan (as running mate Tim Walz), and Dana Carvey's President Joe Biden out of her dressing room in Philadelphia after discussing campaign matters for this election.
Copycat Allegations
Rudolph took a seat by her dressing room mirror, expressing a wish for advice during the campaign's final days. "I wish I could talk to someone in my shoes," she said aloud in the empty room.
Suddenly, the real Kamala Harris appeared on the opposite side of the mirror, exclaiming, "You and me both, sister!"
The two joked about Harris's distinctive laugh and the "dramala" of politics, before the Democratic presidential nominee asked her impersonator, "Any chance you're registered in Pennsylvania?"—a crucial swing state where Trump currently holds a slight lead, according to a recent Quinnipiac poll.
They closed the skit with the classic line, "Live from New York, it's Saturday night!"
Viewers immediately pointed out that the concept and set closely resembled a sketch featuring Trump on Jimmy Fallon's "The Tonight Show" from September 12, 2015, when he was running for president.
During that segment, Fallon, a former "Saturday Night Live" cast member, played Trump and sat at a dressing room mirror that looked almost identical to the one used in the Harris skit. He remarked, "Wow, I look fantastic," just as Trump appeared on the other side of the mirror, similar to Harris's entrance.
"No, we look fantastic, and I mean really fantastic," Trump responded.
The two Trumps chatted about getting ready for the upcoming second Republican primary debate, topics such as job creation, immigration, taxes, his potential vice presidential pick, and his wealth, with Trump emphasizing that he is "really rich."
Too Identical
In both skits, broadcast on NBC, the comedians mimicked the politicians' gestures and facial expressions while they spoke. Viewers were quick to highlight the similarities between the two sketches.
"Kamala ripped off the same bit Trump did when he was on Saturday Night Live in 2015 ...and Trump's was double the length," radio host Ari Hoffman said on X.
"Kamala on SNL can't even be ORIGINAL... had to plagiarize Trump and his much funnier skit. She's soooo CRINGE," another user wrote.
Harris held campaign rallies in Atlanta and Charlotte, North Carolina, earlier on Saturday before heading to 30 Rock for her "SNL" appearance. She left the studio shortly after her performance and arrived in Detroit early Sunday.
A representative from the Trump campaign criticized Harris for appearing on the late-night sketch show just days before the presidential election.
"Kamala Harris has nothing substantive to offer the American people, so that's why she's living out her warped fantasy cosplaying with her elitist friends on Saturday Night Leftists as her campaign spirals down the drain into obscurity. For the last four years, Kamala's destructive policies have led to untold misery and hurt for all Americans. She broke it, and President Trump will fix it," spokesman Steven Cheung told Fox News.
