'Nothing funny' about SNL mockery: Trump

Donald Trump says skit show Saturday Night Live is "terrible" and the impersonations of him are "mean-spirited".

Alec Baldwin and Kate McKinnon on Saturday Night Live

Donald Trump says the impersonations of him on skit show Saturday Night Live are "mean-spirited". (AAP)

US President-elect Donald Trump has doubled down on his scorn for popular TV sketch show Saturday Night Live, and especially Alec Baldwin's portrayal of him, saying "the skits are terrible".

Trump, who hosted Saturday Night Live in November 2015 when he was running for the Republican president, has vented his anger on Twitter in recent weeks, calling the NBC show "totally unwatchable" and a "hit-job".

In an interview on NBC's Today show on Wednesday, Trump was asked whether he had considered no longer watching it, given his complaints.

"I hosted SNL when it was a good show, but it's not a good show anymore," Trump responded. "First of all, nothing to do with me, there's nothing funny about it. The skits are terrible."

The Republican businessman said Baldwin's depiction of him was "really mean-spirited and not very good".

"I do like him and I like him as an actor, but I don't think his imitation of me gets me at all," the Republican added.

Baldwin, who has impersonated Trump as unprepared for office or tweeting during security briefings, tweeted back to Trump last week, "Release your tax returns and I'll stop. Ha."

Trump broke with decades of tradition followed by both Republican and Democratic presidential candidates by refusing to release his tax returns.

Saturday Night Live also parodied Trump's Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton, during the 2016 presidential campaign. The show has lampooned presidents and presidential candidates from both parties since it first aired 41 years ago.

Saturday Night Live has seen a rise in audiences since Baldwin joined the show in October to impersonate Trump.

But Trump countered on Wednesday, "Frankly, the way the show is going now, if you look at the kind of work they're doing, who knows how long that show's going to be on. It's a terrible show."


Share
Published 8 December 2016 8:22am
Source: AAP


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world