Melania Trump Reportedly Watches ‘Saturday Night Live,’ Enjoys Being Parodied By Cecily Strong
Cecily Strong’s imitation of Melania Trump on Saturday Night Live has seemingly earned the first lady’s seal of approval. During a recent appearance on The Tonight Show, Strong talked about an encounter she had with the first couple and Donald Trump’s comments about Melania being an SNL fan.
Saturday Night Live player Cecily Strong was one of Jimmy Fallon’s guests on Friday night, as reported by Vulture. Naturally, Strong and Fallon’s topic of conversation eventually turned to the politically-charged sketches on SNL that generate the most buzz. Alec Baldwin’s Donald Trump impersonation gets a lot of attention, but viewers also enjoy Strong’s Melania Trump sketches. She usually appears sans Baldwin in non-speaking “Melania Moments” segments, which imagine what life is like for the first lady. Melania has been shown fretting over her future replacement being born “somewhere in rural Latvia” and wondering whether Donald Trump would notice if she suddenly switched places with the maid, who suspiciously resembles her employer’s wife.
Cecily Strong has been playing the first lady since back in 2015 when Taran Killam was still portraying Donald Trump, and she met the Trumps at a Saturday Night Live dinner that November when Trump hosted the show. Strong can’t recall exactly what the future president and first lady said to her, but she does remember that their exchange was a positive one.
“[Melania Trump] pointed at me when she walked in, and then I think [Donald Trump] said, ‘She likes your impression,'” Strong recounted. “I heard through the grapevine that she watches the show and likes it.”
There may be a reason that Melania Trump is appreciative of Cecily Strong’s portrayal of her. During a TODAY interview, Strong said that she tries to play Mrs. Trump as “likable” and “fun.” However, the “Melania Moments” segments on SNL usually paint the first lady’s husband in an unflattering light, imagining Melania plotting to get away from Donald Trump and wanting to warn other women about him.
Being nice to the first lady has possibly paid off for Cecily Strong, as the comedian believes that Melania Trump makes a conscious effort to provide material for Saturday Night Live segments. As an example, she mentioned Melania’s “creepy” Christmas decorations, which the Daily Beast compared to the set of a horror film or a Tim Burton movie.
“I feel like she gives us little messages,” Strong said.
“When she decorated the White House for Christmas, I think that was a gift she gave to us.”
https://twitter.com/StephGrisham45/status/934945910467031041
Cecily Strong also praised Saturday Night Live writer Julio Torres for capturing “the curious icicle part of Melania.” Torres is the mastermind behind most of the “Melania Moments” segments.
While Melania Trump may like Strong’s impersonation of her, Donald Trump has made it abundantly clear that he is not happy about being spoofed on SNL. As reported by Entertainment Weekly, the president has used to Twitter to share numerous harsh reviews of the sketch comedy show with his followers, deeming it “not funny,” “unwatchable,” “really bad television,” “boring,” and “totally biased.”
Cecily Strong didn’t tell Jimmy Fallon whether she’ll be playing Melania Trump during tonight’s episode of Saturday Night Live, which airs at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBC. However, she did say that viewers can look forward to watching actress Natalie Portman host the show.
