Alabama on ‘SNL’ again: State icon spoofed during Weekend Update
“Saturday Night Live” could not get enough of Alabama this week. Whether or not the feeling is mutual might depend on the quality of the jokes, but the legendary sketch comedy show took four stabs at it.
After satirizing the Alabama Supreme Court’s ruling on frozen embryos and randomly airing a sketch about fictional Alabama-born character Forrest Gump, “SNL” employed one of its most popular performers to portray author Truman Capote during “Weekend Update.”
Dressed in a black blazer, multicolored scarf, tinted glasses and a fedora on top of a gray wig, cast member Bowen Yang did a fun, if not Philip Seymour Hoffman-level, impersonation of the “In Cold Blood” author who grew up in Monroeville.
Capote stopped by the fake news show to commemorate Women’s History Month (happening in March), which surprised co-anchor Colin Jost.
“Why? I love women,” Capote said. “They’re what dolls are based on.”
Jost then said he has watched the new FX series “FEUD: Capote vs. the Swans,” based on the book “Capote’s Women: A True Story of Love, Betrayal, and a Swan Song for an Era” about Capote’s fractured friendships with a socialite group of New York City high society. The anchor said the series shows how Capote betrayed his female friends by writing mean things about them.
“I didn’t betray them,” Yang said as Capote. “I simply published what they told me in confidence. We were friends. I called them my swans.” When Jost pressed him on why, Capote replied, “Because they’re beautiful, mean, and one of them took a dump on my car.”
Capote then said he wanted to talk about some of his favorite women from history, starting with Amelia Earhart. “She was so brave, such an innovator,” he said. “Terrible what happened to her. You know, she’s the reason why we don’t have female pilots.” Jost pointed out there are female pilots, while Capote said, “Well we shouldn’t.”
He moved on to figures like Betsy Ross, Florence Nightingale, Eleanor Roosevelt and Sacagawea, telling one lie after another about each.
“It really doesn’t seem like you love women,” Jost said.
“Oh please, Colin,” Yang/Capote retorted. “No one loves women like a gay man who hates women.” Watch the full segment in the video above.
Yang’s bit marked one of several Alabama connections seen during the episode hosted by Shane Gillis (with musical guest 21 Savage). Following the Alabama Supreme Court’s recent ruling that frozen embryos are people, “Update” spent a few jokes on the story before allowing a frozen embryo (played by Marcello Hernández) to react to the news.
“Feud: Capote vs. the Swans” an eight-episode series with an all-star cast, airs on Wednesdays at 9 p.m. CT on FX. Tom Hollander of “The White Lotus” stars as Capote in the prestige project, teaming with actresses such as Naomi Watts, Diane Lane, Demi Moore, Molly Ringwald, Chloe Sevigny and Calista Flockhart.