Hollywood star Tom Hanks is facing backlash after portraying a “racist” white supporter of President Donald Trump with a Make America Great Again hat for Saturday Night Live’s 50th anniversary special over the weekend.
In Saturday’s skit, Hanks portrayed a Trump supporter named “Doug” on a game show called “Black Jeopardy.” After giving his answer, which was about church, Hanks spoke in a southern accent, saying, “Now, speaking of church, can I say something? If more folks went to church, we wouldn’t be in this mess we’re in now.”
Kenan Thompson, who portrayed the black host of the parody game show, responded, saying, “You know what? I agree with you, Doug. I’d like to shake your hand, sir.” As Thompson approached Hanks, he initially backed away from the game show host and refused to shake his hand; however, after Thompson said it was “just a handshake,” the white Trump supporter agreed to shake his hand.
After Thompson told Hanks, “You’re welcome at ‘Black Jeopardy’ anytime,” the Hollywood star said, “Well, thank you, my brother. Now, maybe I’ll start a show for you to come on, and we’ll call it ‘White Jeopardy.'” In response, Thompson said, “We don’t need it.”
Saturday’s skit featuring Hanks was quickly met with criticism on social media. Clay Travis, founder of Outkick, tweeted, “For its 50-year anniversary special, SNL had Tom Hanks play a racist Trump supporter afraid to shake a black man’s hand. Fun fact: Trump’s 2024 election win was the LEAST racially divisive American election since 1964.”
Kevin Dalton, a conservative social media influencer, suggested that Saturday Night Live’s skit with Hanks revealed “everything you need to know about what the left has learned” since the 2024 election. He claimed that it also shows why Democrats will “lose landslide election after landslide election for the foreseeable future.”
READ MORE: Star comic regrets offending Trump supporters, says they will ‘never forgive me’
Link Lauren, a former political advisor for Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., shared a picture on X, formerly Twitter, of Hanks’ “racist” character from Saturday’s skit.
“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,” Lauren stated. “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.”
According to Fox News, Hanks first portrayed the same white Trump supporter known as “Doug” in a Saturday Night Live skit that was aired in 2016, shortly before Trump defeated former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
