While I loved the Taylor Swift Twilight parody that aired a couple of weeks ago, I can’t say the same for last Saturday’s cold opening on SNL. In trying to poke fun at President Obama’s U.S. policy and programs, SNL decided to do a ching chong skit based on the president’s recent trip to Asia.
Sorry Will Forte, but mumbling fake Chinese as President Hu JinTao did not make it any less offensive, nor was Nasim Pedrad‘s fake accent as his translator any more amusing. Of course, it’s hard to expect a higher standard for good taste when the actor playing the first black president is white. Really SNL? Really? Just because you got away with blackface doesn’t mean that yellowface is okay too. In fact, neither one with them was cool to begin with.
If you can afford to pay Amy Poehler and Tina Fey for guest appearances, couldn’t you have easily hired Ken Jeong for a one-time gig? There are really no excuses for not using an Asian/Asian American actor when you already have one on NBC’s payroll. Not to mention, he’s has a pretty impressive resume having been in almost every blockbuster bromance comedy since Knocked Up.
Filed under: Breaking News, Television, Asian-American, Racism, Saturday Night Live, SNL, Television, TV
