(RepublicanReport.org) – A recent Saturday Night Live (SNL) skit crossed the line when it attempted to make fun of a recent congressional hearing. The show missed its mark, making a GOP representative its target instead of addressing allegations that some of the country’s top universities have been engaging in anti-Semitism.
The failed satire, which aired on December 9, parodied the December 5 hearing in which members of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce grilled Claudine Gay, president of Harvard; Sally Kornbluth, president of MIT; and Elizabeth Magill, president of Penn State. NPR reports that the committee wanted the school leaders to answer for the alleged rise in anti-semitic rhetoric and the shared feelings among many Jewish students that their safety could be at risk while they’re on campus.
The university presidents’ responses, which all but skirted representatives’ questions, triggered outrage of their own. The school leaders insisted they were simply treading the fine line between keeping their students safe and protecting everyone’s right to free speech. The three schools are among close to 60 that the Department of Education is currently investigating due to complaints of anti-semitic activities.
Gay later apologized for her testimony, and Magill recently resigned from her position over the backlash following hers. Kornbluth has retained the support of MIT’s governing board, according to The Hill, which adds that the university released a statement insisting that it rejects all forms of hate.
The SNL parody immediately sparked a social media firestorm. Rabbi Shmuel Reichman, a best-selling author and speaker who graduated from Harvard, shared the clip on X, formerly Twitter, calling it a “CRINGE skit” and insisting it was likely the long-standing television show’s “most embarrassing decision.” Viva Frei also shared the video, calling the bit a “nail” in a dead show’s “coffin.” Countless others joined in the frays.
SNL unapologetically kept up its clip on X, triggering even more threads of angry responses.
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