NBC’s Saturday Night Live closed out its season on May 9. Following COVID-19 social distancing guidelines, the show aired episodes recorded by its castmembers at home for its last few weeks.
The season finale opened with a Zoom sketch of a graduation ceremony for the class of 2020, with Alec Baldwin making a surprise return as President Donald Trump.
Most students of St. Mary Magdalene by the Expressway High School were mostly unenthusiastic over Trump being a special guest speaker and congratulating them as the “class of COVID-19.”
As he began his virtual commencement speech, Baldwin’s Trump mentioned his valet got the virus so he had to do his own makeup, leading him to watch a “Liza Minnelli TikTok makeup tutorial.” Despite any makeup snafus, he was still honored to be the “vale-dictator.”
Chris Redd and Kenan Thompson’s characters tried to interrupt the president, but Baldwin’s Trump quickly muted the “jazz types.” He went on to tell the students they are “lucky” to be graduating, especially when “there are so many exciting new jobs out there, like grocery store bouncer, cam girl, porch pirate, amateur nurse and coal.”
Baldwin’s Trump also offered some advice to the graduating class. “I started as the son of a simple, wealthy slumlord and grew to become a billionaire, a president and the world’s leading expert on infectious diseases,” he said. “Live every day like it’s your last, because we’re gonna let this virus run wild.”
Previously, the at-home episodes of the show have featured Brad Pitt as Dr. Anthony Fauci, as well as other guest stars like Paul Rudd and Adam Sandler.
After the cold open, Kristen Wiig took over as the finale’s surprise guest host.
