NBC is facing accusations of bias against Donald Trump for giving Kamala Harris a primetime appearance on Saturday Night Live just days before the presidential election.
Brendan Carr, a senior Republican commissioner at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), criticized the vice president’s cameo, calling it a “clear and blatant effort” to circumvent the equal time rule. “The purpose of the rule is to avoid exactly this type of biased and partisan conduct — a licensed broadcaster using public airwaves to influence one candidate on the eve of an election,” Carr posted on Twitter/X. “Unless the broadcaster offered Equal Time to other qualifying campaigns.”
Carr argues that the FCC’s equal time rule, designed to provide fair airtime to candidates, may have been violated, as NBC allegedly structured the appearance to sidestep this requirement.
Harris, 60, appeared on SNL in a surprise two-minute cameo during the cold open, where she encountered her impersonator, Maya Rudolph. In the skit, Rudolph, playing Harris, was preparing for a speech when the real Harris showed up as her reflection, offering encouragement: “You and me both, sister.”
The scene parodied Harris’s nickname, “Momala,” as she advised Rudolph, “You’ve got this. Because you can do something your opponent cannot do. You can open doors.” Rudolph joked about Trump struggling to open a garbage truck door at a recent rally, leading to laughter and a comedic exchange on stage.
Harris also poked fun at her own laugh, asking, “I really don’t laugh like that, do I?” as Rudolph nodded knowingly, recalling SNL’s satire of Hillary Clinton just before the 2016 election. The skit ended with Rudolph, in full “Momala” style, telling Harris, “Kamala, the American people want to stop the chaos.”
The Trump campaign quickly responded, claiming Harris was “trying and failing yet again at appearing remotely funny, relatable, or entertaining in the slightest.” They labeled her cameo “uninspiring” and likened it to her candidacy.
The FCC, an independent U.S. government agency, oversees communications on public airwaves and could potentially review the incident if a formal complaint is filed.
