Today in News: SNL Cold Open Runs Long
NEW YORK — Saturday Night Live began its 42nd season in unusual fashion Monday night. In addition to a rare weekday airing, the show's famous cold open ran long, taking up the entire 90-minute run time.
Veteran impressionist Darrell Hammond was on hand, speaking in inarticulate, unintelligible circles as Republican nominee and businessman Donald Trump. Sniffling and sneering through the sketch, Hammond skewered Mr. Trump's propensity for off-the-cuff declarations and his uncomfortable relationship with the truth.
Facing off against Hammond's Trump was current SNL superstar Kate McKinnon as Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. McKinnon's Clinton spent the whole of the show as the poised and prepared candidate riotously attempting to explain policy and maintain resolve in the face of absurdity.
The long-running NBC property even convinced Nightly News anchor Lester Holt to play himself as the debate's moderator, generating laughs throughout for his inability to reign in the caricatures.
The audience in attendance and at home sat expecting the actors to launch into the famous, "Live from New York, it's Saturday Night!" But neither Hammond nor McKinnon broke character, leaving America scratching its head at the latest odd Lorne Michaels move.
San Francisco correspondent A. Roqué contributed to this report.