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After three weeks off the air, Saturday Night Live had plenty to discuss when it returned this week. The Sandra Oh-hosted episode began with a cold open about the Mueller Report (featuring frequent guest stars Robert De Niro and Alec Baldwin), and later SNL dove into the other major news story of the week: the Chicago state’s attorney dropping all charges against Empire star Jussie Smollett. The sketch, titled “Network Meeting,” took a thinly-veiled shot at the actor, who was facing 16 charges of lying to police for allegedly staging his own attack. While SNL had no problems skewering Smollett, many fans didn’t feel the same, and they took to Twitter to express their confusion about the “uncomfortable” and “unfunny” sketch.
“Network Meeting” stars Oh as Smollett’s agent, who is holding court at a meeting with Lee Daniels (Kenan Thompson) and other producers (Kate McKinnon and Ego Nwodim). Smollett (played by Chris Redd) is late, and when he finally shows up, he comes armed with “some crazy excuse” about how he was just attacked for a second time. The group is skeptical, but this time, Smollett carries “a bag of clues” that includes three big letter Ks, teeth whitening strips, and “the gay” Teletubby. “This is absolutely ridiculous,” says Daniels before firing the actor. An angry Smollett leaves the room, only to re-enter, this time with a neck brace. “You’re not going to believe what happened to me this time!” he says.
SNL‘s take on Smollett garnered thin laughs from the live studio audience, and that sentiment seemed to extend to Twitter, as well. Viewers were quick to slam “Network Meeting” online, saying that the sketch “wasn’t funny at all” and cringe-inducing. “Too soon,” wrote one viewer. “SNL making fun of Jussie Smollett when only 4 of their cast members are black is making me uncomfortable,” said another. And as Decider’s SNL recapper Larry Getlen wrote, “This one felt more sad than funny.”
Watch “Network Meeting” in the clip above. For more on this week’s episode of Saturday Night Live, check out Decider’s recap.
