SNL parodies Fauci, Birx in COVID-19 vaccine-centric cold open

Kate McKinnon and Heidi Gardner.
(Image credit: Screenshot/YouTube/NBC)

NBC's Saturday Night Live poked a little fun at some good news in the latest episode's cold open, with cast members Kate McKinnon and Heidi Gardner appearing as Drs. Anthony Fauci and Deborah Birx, respectively, to address some pressing questions about the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, which was authorized for emergency use and will be distributed this week, from Beck Bennett's Wolf Blitzer.

During the interview McKinnon's Fauci grew exasperated after repeatedly getting interrupted by adoring fans, including one who proposed marriage, a nod to the real-life infectious disease expert's growing celebrity throughout the coronavirus pandemic. "If enough Americans get this vaccine, you'll all forget who I am," the SNL version of Fauci said. "That's my goal. To have zero name recognition with Americans."

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Tim O'Donnell

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.