ill Maher is calling out Saturday Night Live for what he sees as lazy, divisive comedy aimed at Trump supporters, saying their latest MAGA-themed sketch doesn’t just fall flat—it fuels the very tribalism the left claims to oppose.
On a recent episode of his Club Random podcast, Maher blasted a sketch from SNL’s 50th-anniversary special that featured actor Tom Hanks reprising his role as “Doug” from the 2016 “Black Jeopardy!” skit. In the updated version, Doug—donning a MAGA hat—is portrayed as refusing to shake hands with the Black host, clearly suggesting Trump supporters are inherently racist.
“I hated it, and I said it on my show. I know these people. That’s not who they are,” Maher said. “Wearing the MAGA hat and refusing to shake a Black man’s hand? That’s your go-to joke now? That’s not edgy, that’s just hysterical. And you’re not helping.”
While Maher acknowledged that racism exists “everywhere,” he pushed back on the left’s blanket portrayal of Trump voters. “You people don’t know MAGA people,” he added. “It’s the same recycled stereotype, like a zombie lie that just won’t die.”
According to Maher, good comedy requires truth—and this sketch, he says, lacked it entirely. “When the premise isn’t real, the joke doesn’t land,” he argued. “This wasn’t satire. It was smug, out-of-touch political theater disguised as comedy.”
His criticism echoes frustration from across the political spectrum, particularly among conservatives who feel that late-night comedy has morphed into partisan propaganda. Former SNL cast member Victoria Jackson called the sketch “stupid,” and questioned why figures like Kamala Harris never receive the same level of mockery.
The controversy also arrives at a time when support for Trump among minority voters is growing—a point that undermines the racial caricature SNL chose to lean into. Many believe this kind of comedy only alienates working-class Americans and entrenches the cultural divide even further.
Maher’s takedown is another reminder that mockery without honesty isn’t satire—it’s just tribalism with a laugh track. As he put it bluntly: “You’re not helping. You’re just making yourselves feel superior.”
