Tom Hanks isn’t afraid to wear a “Make America Great Again” hat.
At least not during a sketch on “Saturday Night Live.”
The actor, who was hosting the show for the ninth time, was playing a man named Doug during “Black Jeopardy,” a notorious parody sketch of the well-known game show that puts a white contestant on with two black contestants, usually to surprising results.
“Doug” never disclosed which candidate he’s supporting in this year’s election, but the hat — with Republican candidate Donald Trump’s slogan above the brim — said it all. It was clear from the start that the host, played by Kenan Thompson, thought Doug’s presence as a contestant was some sort of mistake as he competed against “Shanice” played by Leslie Jones and Sasheer Zamata’s sketch character, “Keeley.”
But as Doug continued to buzz in, he reminded everyone of something some of us may have forgotten all too easily in this election: we’re more alike than we are different.
The crowd erupted into applause several times as Doug got high fives from his fellow contestants and even a handshake from the host for answering correctly Jeopardy-style questions like, “They out here saying every vote counts.” Doug replies before the other contestants can react, “What is, come on, they already decided who wins even before it happens.”
That lasted until the final category: “All Lives Matter,” a not-so-subtle reference to the Black Lives Movement that has roiled some whites who say all lives matter (a separate hashtag, #bluelivesmatter, showed up on Twitter after police officers were killed by protesters).
“Well, it was good while it lasted, Doug,” Thompson said.
