SNL mocks Trump over his COVID-19 vaccine rollout and pokes fun at Fauci over his new sex-symbol status in its cold open
Saturday Night Live mocked President Trump's rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine in its cold open where Kate McKinnin played Dr. Anthony Fauci learning to embrace his new sex symbol status.
The show opened with Beck Bennett playing CNN's Wolf Blitzer as he interviewed Dr. Anthony Fauci - this time played by Kate McKinnon instead of Brad Pitt - and Dr. Deborah Birx, played by Heidi Gardner.
Bennet opened the segment by stating that the vaccine is 'like the PS5 — everybody wants it, nobody can get it, and if you're rich you already got it like a month ago'.
McKinnon later added that 'this president has done about as good a rollout as I did throwing out that pitch at the Nationals game,' referencing Fauci's disastrous opening pitch in July.
It came as Pfizer Inc revealed that the first COVID-19 vaccine supplies are being prepared to ship from the company’s Kalamazoo, Michigan, site on Sunday.
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Dr. Anthony Fauci - this time played by Kate McKinnon instead of Brad Pitt - and Dr. Deborah Birx, played by Heidi Gardner, were the subject of this week's SNL cold open, as pictured
The show took a jab at Trump, pictured, for his planned COVID-19 vaccine rollout
Officials confirmed they will reach hospitals and other sites across the United States by Monday morning.
Yet despite the good news, the hit NBC show took this week's announcement that the FDA had granted emergency use to the Pfizer vaccine as an opportunity to take a jab at the federal government.
'We did this vaccine WW2 style we made England go in first to see what’s what and then we swoop in at the end and steal the spotlight,' McKinnon said.
'Tom Hanks will make 10 movies about it and when its all over you can kiss any nurse you want.'
Pfizer Inc revealed that the first COVID-19 vaccine supplies, pictured above, are being prepared to ship from the company’s Kalamazoo, Michigan, site on Sunday
When asked about how the vaccine would be distributed, she said: 'First healthcare workers, your McSteamys and McDreamys.'
'Next we have anyone named Mildred, Doris, Blanch, Mabel or Walter,' added Gardner. 'Then after the elderly we’ll move on to prisoners, then teachers, then sick people, then everyone else,'
'And that will be July 20 ….' McKinnon said trailing off.
The also joked that some states on the coasts will be given special treatment, claiming that the vaccine would be distributed 'to states starting alphabetically ... starting with A-California and then B-New York City'.
The opening sketch continued to joked about the freezing temperatures the Pfizer vaccine must be kept in saying, 'luckily the vaccine comes in Coors Light cold activated cans so if the mountains are blue you know the vaccine is effective'.
It mocked Trump further, recalling a press conference in which he incorrectly and dangerously claimed that injecting bleach could cure coronavirus.
'The vaccine is approved and I am officially joining the Biden administration to continue the fight against COVID,' McKinnon's Fauci states.
'And I think I’ll be joining as well, right?' Gardner asked.
The show opened with Beck Bennett playing CNN's Wolf Blitzer, pictured, as he interviewed Kate McKinnon as Dr. Anthony Fauci and Heidi Gardner as Dr. Deborah Birx
The sketch made several quips about Fauci's new-found sex symbol status
It also joked about the ways in which the Pfizer vaccine needs to be kept cold
'Remember when Trump said to inject bleach and I did a stanky little face and I almost whispered "no,"' she said. After Trump made the bleach claim, Birx was caught on camera reacting with horror to the claim but had not interjection.
The moment came up again as Gardner played at comforting McKinnon over Fauci's Nationals pitch.
'It’s ok little guy, we all mess up sometimes. You threw the ball wrong, I didn’t say don’t drink the bleach. It happens.'
The sketch made several quips about Fauci's new-found fame with bras being thrown at McKinnon as she played the country's leading infectious disease expert.
'Let’s try and keep the woos to a minimum, as you all know woos spread droplets,' she said to the response when she appeared as Fauci.
Dr. Anthony Fauci's pitch fell short of the plate and was several feet outside the strike zone when he threw the first pitch at the Nationals in July, which SNL joked about
Dr. Anthony Fauci threw out the first pitch before the Nationals-Yankees game. pic.twitter.com/04Tbkh7Voa
— ESPN (@espn) July 23, 2020
Dr. Anthony Fauci threw out the first pitch before the Nationals-Yankees game. pic.twitter.com/04Tbkh7Voa
'We are here to talk about science and facts - stop throwing bras would ya?
'This keeps happening. Throughout this whole thing, I’ve been the only one saying facts so some people got a crush on me. They say stuff like "can you be my face mask". I respect it. Any other year, I’m a two. This year, I’m a ten, I don’t know,' she continued.
'Hopefully, if enough Americans get this vaccine, you’ll all forget who I am. That’s my goal: to have zero name recognition with Americans because that will mean I’ll have done my job. I want to go back to being an anonymous hunk.'
The sketch was well received by fans on social media who praised McKinnon's impression and voiced their approval for the real Fauci's new fame.
'Why did it take McKinnon so long to play Dr. Fauci?' asked @Michael_Stone.
'OK, any #SNL cold open that has Anthony Fauci played by Kate McKinnon is hilariously good,' added @RickGuasco.
'Kind of funny that Kate McKinnon is playing Fauci without a mask,' joked @MattLevy51, however.
'The #SNL cold open was validating because my crush on Dr Fauci felt validated. I still think he should've been People's Sexiest Man Alive this year,' claimed @Kris10Parisi.
The sketch was well received by fans on social media who praised McKinnon's impression
Pfizer announced that their COVID-19 vaccines were being prepared to be shipped across the country after they received emergency approval from the FDA late on Friday evening.
They will be distributed by the U.S. Department of Defense in partnership with agencies within the HHS to government-designated facilities across the country, Pfizer said.
Trucks will roll out Sunday morning as shipping companies deliver the vaccine to nearly 150 distribution centers across the United States.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump hasn't publicly acknowledged this week´s record number of coronavirus deaths, hospitalizations and cases.
He hailed the vaccine but made no mention of the toll the virus has taken.
There are now more than 16 million coronavirus cases in the US and the death toll stands at 297, 789.
