Even the notoriously liberal “Saturday Night Live” show couldn’t help itself, spanking Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo for his handling of the COVID-19 crisis.
In the show’s cold open, cast member Chloe Fineman plays Britney Spears hosting a show called “Oops, You Did It Again,” in which guests come on to deliver “lame” apologies.
“After the ‘Free Britney’ documentary came out, I’m receiving hundreds of apologies a day,” “Spears” says.
When Peter Davidson, playing Cuomo, takes a seat on the couch, he says, “Hey, hello, all right, let’s get this over with.”
“Governor, do you know why you’re here today?” “Spears” asks.
“Is it because indoor dining is back in New York?” “Cuomo” says, drawing cheers from the audience. “That’s exciting, right?”
“Governor….”
“All right I know. It’s because of the nursing home stuff.”
“And what happened with the nursing homes?”
“Some of the people who died in the nursing homes were not counted as nursing home deaths, they were counted as hospital deaths, which is basically what happens at Disneyworld,” “Cuomo” says. “OK? People die and they move the bodies. They say, ‘Oh, I guess Brenda died in the parking lot, not on the teacups.’ So, you know, we just did the Disney thing, all right? So, are we done here?”
“Don’t you think you ought to apologize?” “Spears” says.
“Yeah.”
“I’m sorry, what was that?”
“I said I was sorry.”
“See, that wasn’t so hard. People just want answers. [New York City Mayor] Bill de Blasio says you ought to be investigated.”
“What did that bird b**** say about me?! I will bury him in the tallest grave,” “Cuomo” says. “I’m sorry, I get a little angry now and then — and always.”
Earlier in the opening sketch, Sen. Ted Cruz, played by female cast member Aidy Bryant with cornrow hair, appears. The Texas Republican was harangued last week for heading to Cancun with his family while Texans dealt with frigid temperatures and snow, which left hundreds of thousands without power or clean drinking water.
“I am in a little bit of hot water, which I am told is a thing no one in Texas has,” he says. “I deeply regret my actions over the last couple of days, most flying United,” says “Cruz,” wearing a “Cancun Family Vacation 2021” T-shirt and holding a tropical drink, mirroring shots of the senator that went viral last week.
“I’m sorry,” he says, “I am pretty bad at human stuff.”
“Spears” asks “Cruz” if he knows why critics are calling him a “coward.”
“Yeah, a ‘coward’ is actually the nicest word I heard,” he says.
“Spears,” whose vast real-life fortune is under a conservatorship held by her father, then warns “Cruz” about blaming his daughters. “As someone who is often blamed for other people’s problems at a young age, maybe leave your daughters out of it because it could really mess up with their heads.”