INQUISITR.COM / Entertainment

Alec Baldwin, Kate McKinnon And Melissa McCarthy Bring ‘SNL’ Ratings Success

By Charisse Van Horn
Published on: 06:03 PST, Feb 13, 2017

NBC announced on Feb. 12, 2017, that their latest episode of Saturday Night Live with guest host Alec Baldwin and musical artist Ed Sheeran was their highest rated episode since Jim Carrey hosted on Jan 8, 2011. According to reviews and ratings, SNL has increased in viewership, and people who formerly watched the show but stopped are returning. Alec Baldwin hosted for an amazing 17th time, and he joked about blackmailing executive producer Lorne Michaels for the spot in his opening monologue. You can watch a full playlist of the Feb. 11, 2017, episode of Saturday Night Live in the video player above. In addition to Baldwin’s hosting gig, the show is drawing praise and viewership for Melissa McCarthy’s impression of White House press secretary Sean Spicer and Kate McKinnon’s versatility. She was used in three major characters during the episode including Kellyanne Conway, Jeff Sessions, and Senator Elizabeth Warren. Yahoo View has the full episode if you missed it and want to watch the show on demand.

https://www.facebook.com/TVandCelebrityNews/posts/1266882556711178

SNL hit ratings gold when during the presidential election, Alec Baldwin appeared on the show dressed as Donald Trump. The Internet went wild, and people from various social media networks remarked what an incredible job Alec Baldwin did portraying the President. SNL has a long history of using their comedy sketch-show to address political issues, and they have decades worth of presidential material with numerous presidents being parodied on the show. Tina Fey portrayed Sarah Palin while Amy Poehler portrayed Hillary Clinton. Now there are two Hillarys as Kate McKinnon has portrayed her and in several episodes, Poehler and McKinnon played Clinton simultaneously. Still, with SNL‘s extensive past using satire for political figures, none may be as spot-on as Baldwin’s Trump. With Melissa McCarthy delivering back-to-back impersonations of Sean Spicer and the prolific Kate McKinnon filling in as anyone else they need, will we see the three continue to appear in future episodes?

Watch Tina Fey as Sarah Palin endorse Donald Trump (Darrell Hammond) in this Saturday Night Live video. Hammond hasn’t appeared as Donald Trump since Baldwin stepped into the role.

Will SNL cast member Leslie Jones be the next to play President Trump?

Not only is Saturday Night Live reaching new ratings heights, but the videos are continuously trending on video sharing sites like YouTube. Melissa McCarthy stepped into the role as Sean Spicer during Season 42, Episode 13 with guest host Kristen Stewart. The video trended to number one on YouTube and within a week has garnered more than 22 million views. You may see that video skit below.

Just one week later, Melissa McCarthy returned as Sean Spicer and again, the video trended on YouTube and other video sharing sites reaching the top spot. Melissa McCarthy’s return to Saturday Night Live has reached more than 8 million views in approximately 24 hours. The video claimed the number one spot. We’re certain they’ll be plenty more of Sean Spicer to come unless he leaves the position. Check out the newest video of Melissa McCarthy as Sean Spicer in the video below.

It’s important to remember that high views and trending articles or videos aren’t necessarily a positive thing. Sometimes videos trend for the wrong reason, like the way everyone slows down and stares at a car wreck on the side of the highway. That doesn’t seem to be the case with Saturday Night Live. Not only are their videos trending, but they are getting new viewers who are returning week after week to watch the program. Comments on the videos, and through Saturday Night Live’s social media networks are positive with negative responses from Trump supporters. The only demand from those who watched Alec Baldwin hosting was they wanted more Trump and didn’t feel he was in the role enough.

We’ll see if the heads over at Saturday Night Live meet the demand and start writing more skits for Baldwin. Are you a fan of the show? Have you watched Season 42? What do you think of Alec Baldwin as Trump and Melissa McCarthy as Spicer? How about Kate McKinnon’s versatility?

Download the official SNL app and watch full episodes on demand and Saturday Night Live streaming live online.

[Featured Image by Will Heath/NBC (used with permission)]

Share this article: Alec Baldwin, Kate McKinnon And Melissa McCarthy Bring ‘SNL’ Ratings Success
kate mckinnon Alec Baldwin Melissa McCarthy
More from Inquisitr