Jim Carrey's Biden mutes Alec Baldwin's Trump in SNL cold open debate parody


Saturday Night Live is back.
The live comedy sketch show was up and running again Saturday night for its 46th season on NBC. The episode, which did not shy away from President Trump's COVID-19 diagnosis, actually began with a cold open parody of Tuesday evening's presidential debate between the incumbent, Trump, who was once again portrayed by Alec Baldwin, and his Democratic challenger, former Vice President Joe Biden, who was played by Jim Carrey. SNL alum Maya Rudolph also returned to the stage during the skit as Biden's running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.).
The skit took aim at the chaotic nature of the actual debate, which was rife with interruptions. Beck Bennett's Chris Wallace struggled, as did the real Wallace, to keep things on track as moderator before Rudolph's Harris came in to assert control.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Carrey's Biden spent quite a bit of time talking to himself in an attempt to stay calm, but usually couldn't refrain from getting angry at Baldwin's Trump, who continuously cut him off. In the end, Carrey's Biden simply muted and froze his opponent, so he could get a clean word out. Watch the full skit below and read more about the rest of the season premiere, which was hosted by Chris Rock, at The Washington Post. Tim O'Donnell
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
-
Israel strikes Iran, killing military and nuclear chiefs
Speed Read Israeli officials said the attack was a 'preemptive' strike on Iran's nuclear program
-
Israel deports Thunberg after seizing Gaza aid boat
speed read The Swedish activist was delivering food and medical aid to Palestine, highlighting the growing humanitarian crisis there
-
Colombian senator shot on streets of Bogotá
speed read Miguel Uribe Turbay, who has announced his candidacy for next year's presidential election, was shot at a rally
-
Trump says Putin vowed retaliation for Kyiv strike
speed read The Russian president intends to respond to Ukraine's weekend drone strikes on Moscow's warplanes
-
Dutch government falls over immigration policy
speed read The government collapsed after anti-immigration politician Geert Wilders quit the right-wing coalition
-
South Korea elects liberal Lee as president
speed read Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party, was elected president following months of political instability in the wake of Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment
-
Nationalist wins tight Polish presidential election
speed read Karol Nawrocki beat Rafal Trzaskowski in Poland's presidential runoff election
-
Ukraine hits Russia's bomber fleet in stealth drone attack
speed read The operation, which destroyed dozens of warplanes, is the 'biggest blow of the war against Moscow's long-range bomber fleet'