Bernie Sanders On ‘SNL’: Democratic Candidate Makes Cameo On ‘Saturday Night Live’, Audience Feels The Bern

Bernie Sanders made a not-really-surprise guest cameo on Saturday Night Live (SNL) last weekend, yukking it up with somewhat-lookalike guest host Larry David, and bringing down the house in the process.

As Bills Insider reports, the 74-year-old Sanders turned up on SNL in a sketch that perfectly allowed him to clarify what he stands for. Larry David plays the captain of a sinking ship, who takes exception to the whole “women and children first” method of deciding who goes into the lifeboats. Sanders then turns up, dressed as a poor passenger, to help the captain see the light.

“Hold on, hold on, wait a second. Enough is enough. We need to unite and work together if we’re all going to get through this.”

David-as-Captain protests, “That sounds like socialism.” Sanders-as-Passenger responds, “Democratic Socialism.”

You can watch Bernie Sanders’ SNL cameo in the video below.

Even though NBC didn’t make any mention of a Bernie Sanders SNL cameo in promotions for Saturday’s episode, that Bernie would appear on the show was hardly a surprise. Guest host Larry David is the closest thing SNL has to a Sanders lookalike, and of course, even before Sanders’ guest appearance, there had already been a Sanders-themed sketch, with Larry David playing the title role.

In “Bern Your Enthusiasm,” David spoofs his own HBO show, Curb Your Enthusiasm, playing Bernie Sanders as a cantankerous, neurotic germophobe. The sketch pokes fun at Sanders’ recent loss in Iowa, as well as his perceived inability to connect with black voters. You can watch the sketch in the video below.

Bernie Sanders is not the first 2016 presidential candidate to appear on SNL this season. Donald Trump has already guest-hosted back in November, getting mixed reviews. And, in a much-talked-about sketch from October, 2015, Sanders’ main opponent for the Democratic nomination, Hillary Clinton, appeared as bartender to talk with a version of herself, played by Kate McKinnon.

In fact, Bernie Sanders’ SNL appearance is just the latest in a long line of appearances by politicians — presidents, presidential candidates, former presidents, former candidates, politicians on the periphery, etc. — on Saturday Night Live, appearing either as themselves or as other characters. And almost always, those politicians get more than a few barbs thrown their way, according to a 2015 New York Daily News report.

Perhaps the famous visit by a politician to the SNL stage took place in 2001. Just a few days after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, then-New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani appeared on the show to talk about the devastating effects the attacks had on the city, and to promise that New York would stand strong, and that life would go on. And despite the gravity of the situation, Rudy even cracked a joke with SNL producer Lorne Michaels. Once Giuliani gave Michaels permission to start the show, Michaels asked “Can we be funny?” Giuliani famously quipped, “Why start now?”

Other politicians to grace the SNL studios with their presence include Sarah Palin, who spoofed cast-member Tina Fey’s biting impression of her; 1996 Republican presidential candidate Steve Forbes (the musical guests that night, Rage Against the Machine, were staunchly anti-Forbes and tried to hang upside-down flags on their amplifiers); and of course, Gerald Ford, whose complete lack of charisma was the focal point of Chevy Chase’s impression of him back in SNL‘s early days.

On Sunday, after his much-talked-about SNL appearance, Sanders appeared on CNN’s “State of the Union” and was asked about the resemblance between himself and Larry David.

“No. I did not make the connection between Larry David and myself.”

What did you think of Bernie Sanders’ cameo appearance on SNL?

[Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images]