A video featuring “Saturday Night Live” cast member Chloe Fineman jokingly discussing how she was fired as a camp counselor after exposing a young boy&#8217;s genitals appears to have been edited on YouTube following backlash online.
The video in question was posted by Vanity Fair last week. The segment, titled “SNL Cast Test How Well They Know Each Other,” includes cast members quizzing each other about incidents from their past, and opens with Fineman revealing an anecdote from her camp counselor days when she was 16.
<iframe loading="lazy" title="SNL Cast Test How Well They Know Each Other | Vanity Fair" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/x016TmuSN6c?start=50&#038;feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
&#8220;I was fired as a camp counselor,&#8221; Fineman said, prompting her castmates to guess the reason, including the suggestion that she “hit on the campers.”
&#8220;I pantsed a boy,&#8221; Fineman said.
“Oh honey. I think you’re on a list somewhere,” Ashley Padilla said in reply in the <a href="https://x.com/TheOnlyDSC/status/2041225730298720468">original version</a>.
Both the original and edited versions include Fineman discussing her reason for pantsing the young child, namely that he allegedly lifted up her shirt after asking for a hug. 
“He was like, 6,” the “SNL” cast member said in the original. The boy’s age did not make it into the edited version.
“No, it was a different time,” she insisted when the other castmates gasped, adding that he was a “d*ck” for lifting her shirt. 
“And then I was like, I’m gonna get back at you,” she explained. “And so we were on a hike, and I was like, ‘Hey Ollie, look over there it’s a hawk,’ and he looked and then I yanked his pants down…&#8221;
“And he wasn’t wearing underpants,” Fineman continued in the original version. The current YouTube video has this part cut out, though it’s still available in clips floating around on social media. 
“He wasn’t wearing underwear. His little dingaling was out. And then these two twins were like, ‘Ollie, I didn’t know you didn’t wear underwear!’”
Both versions end with Fineman concluding, “&#8230;and then I was fired.”
Conde Nast (which owns Vanity Fair) did not immediately return The Daily Wire&#8217;s request for comment.
Social media commenters couldn’t figure out why Fineman would willingly share this type of story. 
“However talented she may be as a comedian (and I have my doubts), I am trying to figure out how someone in Hollywood today could be so tone-deaf, self-absorbed, mean girl, and narcissistic that they would share this story and think everyone would find it cute. It is mind boggling,” one person <a href="https://x.com/hllywoodlandCA/status/2041501203473834293">observed</a>.
“Vanity Fair really tried to sweep chaos under the rug, [editing] out Chloe Fineman’s camp counselor story only made it trend harder, turning what should’ve been a quirky SNL cast segment into a full‑blown PR nightmare where the deleted clip is now the headline,” another <a href="https://x.com/Blizzflix/status/2041317599313871230">agreed</a>.

Chloe Fineman

Vanity Fair Edits ‘SNL’ Comedian’s Story About Pantsing Child

Celebrities

comedian

Entertainment

Saturday Night Live

Vanity Fair

“Saturday Night Live” mocked HBO’s upcoming “Harry Potter” television series over the weekend for race-swapping the villain, Severus Snape.
Paapa Essiedu, a black British actor, is set to play the role, a character described in J.K. Rowling&#8217;s books as having pale, yellow skin. 
During the &#8220;Weekend Update&#8221; segment on Saturday&#8217;s show, “SNL” cast member Kam Patterson portrayed a black version of Snape and joked about how the character might be perceived. 
“Good evening, Mr. Jost — nah, I’m playing. I don’t talk like that, bro. It’s called code-switching. Codio switchio!” Patterson said after being introduced by host Colin Jost.
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Weekend Update: Professor Snape Addresses New Spin on Harry Potter Role - SNL" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JNaf-skJpzo?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Jost asked how things were going at Hogwarts, inspiring Patterson to reply, “Not great. We got this new kid. His name is Harry Potter, and he’s racist as hell. Harry Potter — or, the Proud Boy Who Lived — spent the whole year telling everybody that the school’s only black teacher was secretly evil.”
Jost interjected, “I think he’s just worried because he knows someone’s trying to steal the Sorcerer’s Stone.” 
“So somebody stole something, and the number one suspect is Black Snape? They didn’t even look at the white guy in the turban. So offensive. He’s got a wizard on the back of his head,” Patterson shot back.
“I’m really sorry that he just jumped to conclusions like that,” Jost said. 
Snape replied, “All good. It happens all the time. I showed up at Hogwarts, and on the first day, they looked at me and said, ‘You’re the professor of the Dark Arts.’ I never even studied that! I majored in African Muggle Studies.”
“The whole wizarding world is racist,” Patterson went on in the bit. “There’s one other black guy, Kingsley Shacklebolt, a name I’m guessing they got out of the Wu-Tang name generator … why they got to put ‘shackle’ in his name? That’s crazy, man. Shackle? Shackle!”
The skit went on, with a reference to Rowling being “problematic.”
Essiedu claimed that haters have been out in force since his casting for “Harry Potter” was announced. The British star <a href="https://www.thetimes.com/culture/tv-radio/article/paapa-essiedu-harry-potter-snape-interview-3hqkzzmlk">told</a> The Times last month that he’s been told, “Quit or I’ll murder you.”
“It really matters,” he says. “The reality is that if I look at Instagram I will see somebody saying, ‘I’m going to come to your house and kill you.’ …nobody should have to encounter this for doing their job. Many people put their lives on the line in their work. I’m playing a wizard in Harry Potter. And I’d be lying if I said it doesn’t affect me emotionally.”
“But the abuse fuels me,” he went on. “And makes me more passionate about making this character my own, because I think of how I felt as a kid. I would imagine myself at Hogwarts on broomsticks, and the idea that a kid like me can see themselves represented in that world? That’s motivation to not be intimidated by someone saying they’d rather I died instead of doing work I’m going to be really proud of.”

Paapa Essideu

SNL Wrecks New ‘Harry Potter’ Series For Racially Profiling Fan-Favorite

Harry Potter

Racism

Television

I still remember one of the last times America shared a laugh. 
It was a silly blunder that occurred on &#8220;Saturday Night Live,&#8221; involving an unfortunate rising pop-star named Ashlee Simpson. By now, you might already recall the story. While performing her hit single “Pieces of Me,” poor Ashlee flubbed her lip-syncing, stopped performing, looked around awkwardly, and began dancing the hoedown to her own vocal track. Fade to commercials. Oof.
Today, such a story might be mentioned on a few entertainment sites or be shared on a few neatly curated social feeds, but this was 2004. Netflix was still a DVD mailing service. Our entertainment options were limited. &#8220;SNL&#8221; was still funny. And everyone saw it.
The following Monday, school was buzzing with talk of Simpson’s slip-up. Millions of little conversations and shared laughs. Millions of little human connections. Thanks, Ashlee! And sorry for your luck.
The very next year, YouTube went live for the first time. Two years later, Netflix began streaming. Then, the iPhone hit store shelves, and we all know the rest. America’s shared culture shattered into millions of algorithmically tailored little pieces. The communal experience of an entire nation curled up on the couch to watch Leno or Letterman turned into 300 million Americans scrolling endlessly through mini-cultures personalized just for them. At the time, we had no idea what we had lost.
We have a better idea now. And we’re all on the verge of killing each other.
The final nail in the coffin came when late-night institutions gave up on trying to entertain the “deplorable” half of the country. CBS replaced Letterman with an angry, bitter, partisan hack named Stephen Colbert. &#8220;SNL’s&#8221; Farley, Sandler, and Farrell gave way to Kate McKinnon performing somber eulogies to Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign. And on Jimmy Kimmel’s show, you’re just as likely to see a washed-up Biden Administration cabinet member as you are a glamorous movie star.
Now, all the jokes are strained variations of “F*ck Trump.” Get it? No?
As it turns out, even most leftists hate this dreck. Late-Night ratings are at record lows, with critics now calling the medium antiquated and dead.
But is it, really? Is it possible to go back? The hunger we all feel for the days of shared experiences is undeniable. It’s one of the most fundamental human needs, and, as a great man once said, “Life finds a way.”
We’re seeing this now among younger generations who grew up in our atomized culture. Kids are looking for something — anything — that can connect them with others. The manifestations are as banal as can be. Last summer, “The Minecraft Movie,” something most humans objectively agree is a pile of steaming hot garbage, made almost a billion dollars because the practice of watching a crap movie with friends while erupting into applause every time Jack Black’s character said “chicken jockey” became a meme.
But it gets even sillier than that. Over the last year, GenZ and GenAlpha have united around the shared experience of saying “6-7.” That’s it. That’s the whole meme. You say “6-7” and everyone laughs at a meaningless little gesture that feels more meaningful because we all share it.
The hunger for nationwide shared experiences is clearly there.
The Babylon Bee rose to prominence by serving up jokes that half the country embraced and the other half ignored — or actively scorned. It’s a fun gig, but it’s always mingled with melancholic memories of better days, when Americans could all laugh at a joke together.
The question is, can we ever have something like that again?
I think we can, but it won’t be easy. Entertainers on both sides will have to find love and respect in their hearts for the half of the country they disagree with. Comedians need to see themselves as service providers again, and their audience as customers deserving of human dignity. They’ll have to leave the preaching to others.
Comedy is noble work, and the only people truly up to the task are those willing to check their pride and self-importance at the door. John Cleese, in a Babylon Bee interview, called on comedians to discover “pointless silliness” again. Sage advice for a media landscape dominated by sneering, meta-irony, narcissism, and disdain.
But in a nation so divided, can we even still laugh at the same things anymore? Are we too different? If you want an answer to that question, find a friend of a different political persuasion and invite him or her to watch Monty Python’s “The Fish Slapping Dance” on YouTube together. Good luck not giggling at that.
Can we save late-night? I think it’s worth a shot, but there’s only one way to find out.
Maybe we can have a shared laugh again, if only to keep us from killing each other.
* * *
Joel Berry is the managing editor of The Babylon Bee, a Marine Corps veteran, and the author of &#8220;The Postmodern Pilgrim&#8217;s Progress.&#8221; Follow him on X: @JoelWBerry
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Ashlee Simpson, Monty Python, And The Last Time America Laughed Together

Babylon Bee

Comedy

Hollywood

Opinion

The Tonight Show

Actor Chevy Chase said he felt “hurt” after being &#8220;left aside&#8221; during “SNL50: The Anniversary Special,” which aired in February. 
“Well, it was kind of upsetting actually,” Chase said in an upcoming documentary, “I’m Chevy Chase and You’re Not,” per <a href="https://people.com/chevy-chase-hurt-being-left-out-of-snl-50th-celebration-11875499">People</a>. 
He went on, “This is probably the first time I’m saying it. But I expected that I would’ve been on the stage too with all the other actors. When Garrett [Morris] and Laraine [Newman] went on the stage there, I was curious as to why I didn’t. No one asked me to. Why was I left aside?”
“Why was Bill Murray there and why was I not? I don’t have an answer for that,” Chase said.
The 82-year-old comedian was part of the “SNL” cast from the very beginning, and launched a successful movie career after becoming a breakout star on the show. He earned two Emmy Awards out of four nominations for both acting and writing on the show.
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Chase exited halfway through season two to launch his film career, but returned frequently for guest appearances.
“I did bring it up once in a text to [“SNL” creator Lorne Michaels] and then took it back,” Chase continued. “I said, ‘Okay, I take it back, silly.’ But it’s not that silly. Somebody’s made a bad mistake there. I don’t know who it was, but somebody made a mistake. They should’ve had me on that stage. It hurt.”
Chase was present at the “SNL50” special but was not featured. In the upcoming documentary, his wife Jayni Chase said the organizers &#8220;told Chevy up until that day that there were two bits, they were going back and forth.&#8221;
&#8220;And then, all of the sudden, &#8216;No, there&#8217;s no bit,'&#8221; she said.
“There were a couple versions of [the ‘Weekend Update’ segment] and we went back and forth on that,” Michaels said in the documentary. “There was also a caution from somebody that I don’t want to name that Chevy, you know, wasn’t as focused.”

Chevy Chase

Chevy Chase Was ‘Hurt’ After Being ‘Left Aside’ During SNL Anniversary Special

U.S.

The Department of Homeland Security thanked NBC&#8217;s &#8220;Saturday Night Live&#8221; for its sketch poking fun at Secretary Kristi Noem and her effort to recruit federal agents to join the Trump administration&#8217;s mass deportation effort.
The sketch opened with Amy Poehler as Attorney General Pam Bondi testifying at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing.
“My name is Pam Bondi. I spell it with an ‘i’ because I ain’t gonna answer any of your questions,” Poehler said. “My time is valuable. The DOJ has many ongoing operations, and we’re moving like Kash Patel’s eyeballs — very quickly in multiple directions at once.”
Poehler was later joined by Tina Fey, who played a dolled-up Noem donning an DHS cap and holding a rifle.
“That’s right. It’s me, Kristi Noem,” Fey said. “I spell my name with an ‘i’ because that’s how I thought it was spelled. And I’m the rarest type of person in Washington, D.C. &#8212; a brunette that Donald Trump listens to,&#8221; said Fey.
Fey also touched on Noem&#8217;s stance on the government shutdown.
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&#8220;Our government agents are working without pay. Luckily, my boys at ICE don&#8217;t mind, they&#8217;re in it for the love of the game. And how did I find them? By running ads like this,&#8221; said Fey in one clip shared by DHS.
DHS took the clip to then introduce an ad set to rap music showing ICE agents arresting illegal immigrants.
&#8220;SNL is absolutely right&#8211;the Democrats&#8217; shutdown does need to end!&#8221; DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told The Daily Wire.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Thanks for the free advertisement <a href="https://twitter.com/nbcsnl?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NBCSNL</a>
Get Criminals Out. Make History. Save America.<a href="https://t.co/nZkBEj3GGi">https://t.co/nZkBEj3GGi</a> <a href="https://t.co/0If5QGaX2N">pic.twitter.com/0If5QGaX2N</a>
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) <a href="https://twitter.com/DHSgov/status/1977516763093868918?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 12, 2025</a></blockquote>
Bondi also joined in on the fun, suggesting that she and Noem &#8220;should &#8230; recreate&#8221; the image of Fey as the armed DHS secretary and Poehler as the nation&#8217;s top cop.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
.⁦<a href="https://twitter.com/Sec_Noem?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Sec_Noem</a>⁩, should we recreate this picture in Chicago?
Loving Amy Poehler! <a href="https://t.co/3wNCnS0sGX">pic.twitter.com/3wNCnS0sGX</a>
— Attorney General Pamela Bondi (@AGPamBondi) <a href="https://twitter.com/AGPamBondi/status/1977378653462818933?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 12, 2025</a></blockquote>

Untitled design (37)

Department Of Homeland Security Thanks ‘SNL’ For Sketch Poking Fun At Kristi Noem

Department of Homeland Security

Donald Trump

Kristi Noem

Media

Pam Bondi

Politics

Tina Fey

Puerto Rican singer Bad Bunny addressed the backlash the NFL has been receiving after it was announced that he’d be the halftime performer at the upcoming Super Bowl, saying anyone unhappy with it should just learn Spanish.
Many people reacted negatively to the 31-year-old recording artist headlining the event, as they noted that, first and foremost, none of his songs were in English. 
Social media users also pointed out that Bad Bunny, whose legal name is Benito Ocasio, had previously refused to perform in the United States as a form of protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents enforcing federal law.
Ocasio referenced the criticism during an appearance on “Saturday Night Live” over the weekend.
“Especially all of the Latinos and Latinas in the world here in the United States who have worked to open doors,” Bad Bunny said in Spanish. “It’s more than a win for myself; it’s a win for all of us. Our footprints and our contribution in this country, no one will ever be able to take that away or erase it.”
The singer then switched to English, saying, “If you didn’t understand what I just said, you have four months to learn.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Bad Bunny&#8217;s monologue! <a href="https://t.co/pjS0Ejckcg">pic.twitter.com/pjS0Ejckcg</a>
— Saturday Night Live &#8211; SNL (@nbcsnl) <a href="https://twitter.com/nbcsnl/status/1974684057045786842?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 5, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Reactions on social media echoed what NFL fans have been saying since it was announced that Bad Bunny would be the halftime performer.
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“That smug, arrogant clown standing on SNL telling Americans to ‘learn Spanish’ if they want to understand his halftime show? That’s the perfect snapshot of what the NFL has become under Roger Goodell. A bloated, elitist trash heap that worships identity over unity, politics over patriotism, and virtue signaling over actual entertainment,” one commenter <a href="https://x.com/SchoenPhotog/status/1974828994764972492">wrote</a>. “The NFL can go to hell.”
“Imagine an English-speaking artist going on live TV in another country and telling the locals they have four months to learn English. They&#8217;d be canceled by morning,” another person <a href="https://x.com/asectomidnight/status/1974699539631116504">said</a>. “But when its reversed? It&#8217;s called REPRESENTATION.”
Previously, Ocasio referred to ICE agents as “motherf***ers” and “sons of bitches” in a video he posted to Instagram.
The three-time Grammy Award winner said during an interview earlier this month that he didn’t book any tour stops in the United States because he was worried ICE agents would target concert attendees.
“There was the issue of — like, f***ing ICE could be outside (my concert). And it’s something that we were talking about and very concerned about.”
The Super Bowl is scheduled to take place at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, on Sunday, February 8, 2026.

Bad Bunny

Bad Bunny Backlash Explodes After He Tells NFL Fans To Learn Spanish

Football

Puerto Rico

singer

Super Bowl

In 2017, “Saturday Night Live” uncorked a riotous “‘Woke Jeans’ commercial” tied to the growing woke movement.
The clip proved an exception to the mainstream comedy rule. Woke was more or less off limits to “SNL,” Late-Night hosts, and film comedies, despite a dearth of material.
Insane cultural rules. Virtue-signaling politicians. Identity Politics gone wild. The comic possibilities seemed endless.
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Levi&#039;s Wokes - SNL" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/adPXDTvADD0?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
&nbsp;
Nothing to laugh about here. Move along. Only Comedy Central’s “South Park” regularly targeted the cultural scourge via PC Principal, trans athletes in women’s sports, and related gags.
Now, things are changing. It’s suddenly acceptable to mock the progressive overreach.
The new movie “Eddington” takes direct aim at woke, along with COVID-19 restrictions, conspiracy theorists and BLM sloganeering.
Director Ari Aster’s film isn’t one-sided or brimming with lectures. It takes us back to May 2020, a time when the George Floyd riots were raging across America and government rules made citizens mask up to stop the virus’ spread.
<div id="attachment_955565" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-955565" class="wp-image-955565 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MixCollage-01-Aug-2025-11-14-AM-5738-1024x576.jpg" alt="Joaquin Phoenix and Pedro Pascal in “Eddington” (2025) A24. Square Peg Productions. 828 Productions. IMDB." width="1024" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MixCollage-01-Aug-2025-11-14-AM-5738-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MixCollage-01-Aug-2025-11-14-AM-5738-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MixCollage-01-Aug-2025-11-14-AM-5738-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MixCollage-01-Aug-2025-11-14-AM-5738-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MixCollage-01-Aug-2025-11-14-AM-5738-2048x1152.jpg 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Joaquin Phoenix and Pedro Pascal in “Eddington” (2025) A24. Square Peg Productions. 828 Productions. IMDB.</div>
The story unfolds in a fictional small town in New Mexico, one about to be rocked by dueling social contagions.
It’s uncomfortable to watch and often hilarious, mocking both Alex Jones types and white teens desperate to be woke. The latter ape the progressive talking points of their big-city peers, desperate to fit in and appear cool.
Heck, one newly woke teen just wants to “get” with a pretty girl, and he’ll virtue all the signals he can to make that happen.
The film’s biggest laugh? A white teen explains his “privilege” to his parents, and his father snaps back at him.
“Are you a f***ing retard? You’re white.”
Aster’s films aren’t blockbusters, but his arthouse musings represent mainstream artistic values. And, yes, he went there. So much so that a New York Times <a href="https://x.com/matthewschmitz/status/1947120245329576009">film critic</a> literally <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/ny-times-eddington-director-mocking-blm/">cursed him out</a> for inserting those gags in his film.
<blockquote>“F*** you, Ari Aster. Really, seriously. It’s so easy to mock these things. People are still dying from COVID. We may no longer be living in a pandemic… I just don’t find it funny, and I find it really important for people to, I think white people should interrogate their f***Ing whiteness, and I think Ari Aster should start.”</blockquote>
Triggered.
<div id="attachment_955653" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-955653" class="size-large wp-image-955653" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/GettyImages-2215538204-864x576.jpg" alt="CANNES, FRANCE - MAY 17: (L-R) Emma Stone, Pedro Pascal, Ari Aster, Joaquin Phoenix and Austin Butler pose during the &quot;Eddington&quot; photocall at the 78th annual Cannes Film Festival at Palais des Festivals on May 17, 2025 in Cannes, France. (Photo by Andreas Rentz/Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/GettyImages-2215538204-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/GettyImages-2215538204-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/GettyImages-2215538204-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/GettyImages-2215538204.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Andreas Rentz/Getty Images</div>
The recent horror-comedy “Ick” from provocateur Joseph Kahn also tees-off on woke overreach. The story follows another small town where calamity strikes. This time, the danger comes from a mysterious plant-like substance that goes from benign to deadly.
The menace allows Kahn to satirize American culture, conspiracy mongers (again) and that woke mind virus. Virtue signaling takes it on the chin, as do students talking like an unproduced Lena Dunham sitcom.
It’s far from flattering.
Those eager for a deeper dive into woke excess can read “The Sandersons Fail Manhattan.&#8221; Author Scott Johnston’s biting satire follows a rich New York family caught up in the city&#8217;s progressive mania. A fancy prep school is desperate to recruit its first trans student, while the story&#8217;s patriarch must learn if his colleague is gay enough to satisfy key DEI requirements.
<div id="attachment_955657" style="width: 394px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Sandersons-Fail-Manhattan-Novel/dp/1250384788"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-955657" class="size-large wp-image-955657" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MixCollage-01-Aug-2025-12-42-PM-5680-384x576.jpg" alt="Cover Credit: St. Martin's Press" width="384" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MixCollage-01-Aug-2025-12-42-PM-5680-384x576.jpg 384w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MixCollage-01-Aug-2025-12-42-PM-5680-200x300.jpg 200w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MixCollage-01-Aug-2025-12-42-PM-5680-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MixCollage-01-Aug-2025-12-42-PM-5680-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MixCollage-01-Aug-2025-12-42-PM-5680-1365x2048.jpg 1365w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MixCollage-01-Aug-2025-12-42-PM-5680-1360x2040.jpg 1360w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MixCollage-01-Aug-2025-12-42-PM-5680-scaled.jpg 1707w" sizes=" (max-width: 384px) 100vw, 384px" /></a>Cover Credit: St. Martin&#8217;s Press</div>
While “Eddington” and “Ick” take shots at woke, “Manhattan” is a full-on assault against Identity Politics and its cultural tendrils. No apologies.
Even comedians can shred woke pieties from major platforms without fear of reprisal and tell jokes that the woke mob deemed off limits.
Last year, the comedy roast format roared back to life with Netflix’s “tribute” to NFL great Tom Brady.
More recently, stand-up comic Shane Gillis proved that anew. Gillis, starring in Netflix’s rowdy comedy “Tires,” is a walking, talking testament to woke’s cultural decline. The comedian got hired, and promptly fired, by “SNL” for crude comments tied to Asian culture. Rather than fade into obscurity, Gillis went back to work, rebuilding his career.
His star rose so high that “SNL” invited him to host the program – twice – without censoring his rebellious streak.
<div id="attachment_955665" style="width: 835px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-955665" class="size-large wp-image-955665" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/GettyImages-2225471382-825x576.jpg" alt="HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - JULY 16: Shane Gillis speaks onstage during the 2025 ESPY Awards at Dolby Theatre on July 16, 2025 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)" width="825" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/GettyImages-2225471382-825x576.jpg 825w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/GettyImages-2225471382-300x209.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/GettyImages-2225471382-768x536.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/GettyImages-2225471382.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 825px) 100vw, 825px" />Kevin Winter/Getty Images</div>
More recently, he emceed the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/shane-gillis-destroys-the-espys-and-wokeness">ESPY Awards</a>, mocking woke sacred cows like former soccer player Megan Rapinoe, a progressive scold synonymous with virtue signaling.
“Megan Rapinoe could not make it tonight … nice.”
A few media outlets grumbled about his “problematic” material. No Cancel Culture-style punishment ensued, nor was he forced to make a “hostage”-style apology.
Now, a rare voice eager to mock the woke mindset returns to do more of the same. “Beavis &amp; Butt-head” creator Mike Judge took an early swing at woke with his failed 2009 ABC sitcom “The Goode Family.” The show proved ahead of its time, teasing a hard-Left clan who strained to be better than, well, everyone.
Now, Judge is using his “King of the Hill” reboot to satirize gender fluidity, cultural appropriation and more on Hulu starting August 4.
Judge isn’t as merciless as Johnston, but his “Hill” gags give the game away. One episode finds wokesters attacking Bobby Hill, now a young man and overseeing a fusion restaurant. The menu in question sparks cries of cultural appropriation, leaving the Hill clan confused and upset.
The show finds a resolution, albeit one that illustrates the wobbly nature of woke criticism.
Has the pop culture dam finally broken on all things woke? The re-election of Donald Trump pushed the pendulum, hard, in that direction. We’re seeing the fruits of that shift now in pop culture.
More may follow.
And, if “SNL,” late-night TV and mainstream comedies continue to avoid these juicy targets, their cultural clout will diminish even further. Just <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/nyc-were-with-colbert-rally-draws-tens-of-people-even-cops-go-home">ask Stephen Colbert how that works</a>.
* * *
Christian Toto is an award-winning journalist, movie critic and editor of <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>. He previously served as associate editor with Breitbart News’ Big Hollywood. Follow him at <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

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Triggered Yet? Pop Culture’s Woke Takedown Has Begun

Triggered Yet? Pop Culture's Woke Takedown Has Begun

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Bill Maher came down hard on the liberal joke writers for “Saturday Night Live” over a skit they did in February which portrayed Trump supporters as racist.
The political commentator discussed his thoughts on the newest episode of Club Random, which featured fitness star Jillian Michaels as a guest. He was reacting to a skit with Tom Hanks from the “SNL” episode which features Hanks as a MAGA hat-wearing racist who wouldn’t shake the hand of a black man.
“I hated it, too, and I said it on my show. I know. I hated it,” Maher said. “Wearing the MAGA hat, not shaking hands with a black person. And that’s when I thought, ‘You people don’t know MAGA people.’”
“I mean, they have their issues and I certainly have my issues with them … of course, there’s some racists everywhere who are that bad, but generally, all the MAGA people I know have no problem shaking hands with a black person. You’re just hysterical and you’re not helping,” the podcast host continued.
Maher insisted again that it’s a “lie that MAGA people won’t shake hands” with a black person. “I get it, it’s part of a skit and it’s an exaggeration and that’s comedy. It’s a little too delicate a subject to go there,” he said.
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Jillian Michaels | Club Random" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JgTy2Q4Lyg0?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
“They probably think it’s great,” he said of the “SNL” writers. “As a liberal, I don’t like it. Again, because lying offends me. I’m a comedian, when the premise isn’t real, I can’t go with it. The premise doesn’t ring true. It might have rang true X years ago. It doesn’t now.”
Viewers on social media expressed similar sentiments about the skit when it first aired in February, as The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/tom-hanks-bashed-for-playing-racist-trump-supporter-on-snl">reported</a>.
“This show wonders why their ratings are in the gutter. Trump won the popular vote. This tired trope that MAGA is racist is disgusting. SNL is an unfunny show,” one reaction said.
“For its 50 year anniversary special, SNL had Tom Hanks play a racist Trump supporter afraid to shake a black man’s hand. Fun fact: Trump’s 2024 election win was the LEAST racially divisive American election since 1964,” another person wrote.
“Hollywood still doesn’t get it: Portraying Trump supporters as racist caricatures while he’s winning record minority support. SNL’s trying 2016 jokes in 2025,” another person commented.

Bill Maher

Bill Maher Blasts Anti-MAGA ‘SNL’ Skit As ‘Hysterical’: ‘You’re Not Helping’

Bill Maher Blasts Anti-MAGA 'SNL' Skit As 'Hysterical': 'You're Not Helping'

MAGA

Tom Hanks

Country singer Morgan Wallen addressed the viral moment when he broke precedent and abruptly exited the stage of “Saturday Night Live” while the cast was still saying their goodbyes.
The 31-year-old celeb discussed the incident during an appearance on the podcast “Sundae Conversations with Caleb Pressley.”
“Could you fix a TV, if it was on SNL?” Pressley asked Wallen during a conversation about his handyman skills.
“I could change it for sure,” Wallen said with a chuckle.
“Seriously, SNL, did they make you mad?” the host asked.
Wallen replied, “No, no. I was just ready to go home. I’d been there all week.”
Pressley mentioned the country singer’s subsequent Instagram post of a private plane sitting on a runway which said, “Get to me to God’s country,” which Wallen recalled with a smile and a “yeah.”
The singer lives in Nashville, while “SNL” is taped in New York City.
<iframe loading="lazy" title="MORGAN WALLEN 3: Sundae Conversation with Caleb Pressley" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XyAvuB-l-Hk?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
The “Last Night” singer quickly decided to capitalize on the virality of the moment, selling merchandise, including a t-shirt and a hat, repeating that caption. This likely refers to the Instagram story and could also reference a song title in his upcoming album, “I’m the Problem,” which comes out May 16.
Wallen whispered something in “Anora” actress Mikey Madison’s ear before departing the stage, but did not appear to say goodbye to anyone else, as The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/morgan-wallen-sells-get-me-to-gods-country-merch-after-viral-snl-exit?author=Amanda+Harding&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Morgan+Wallen+Sells+%E2%80%98Get+Me+To+God%E2%80%99s+Country%E2%80%99+Merch+After+Viral+%E2%80%98SNL%E2%80%99+Exit">reported</a>.
“SNL” star Keenan Thompson addressed the moment during an interview with Entertainment Weekly.
“I don’t know what goes through people’s minds when they decide to do stuff like that. I don’t know if he understood the assignment or not, or if he was really feeling a certain kind of way,” Thompson told the outlet.
“It’s definitely a spike in the norm,” the longtime cast member added. “We’re so used to everybody just turning around and high-fiving us, everybody’s saying, ‘Good job, good job, good job.’ So when there’s a departure from that, it’s like, hmm, I wonder what that’s about?”
While Thompson admitted that other guests, including Prince, had been “standoffish,” he thought Wallen’s actions were a little more egregious. Later, the comedian also complained about Wallen’s Instagram post.
“The ‘God’s country’ of it all is strange because it’s like, what are you trying to say? You trying to say that we are not in God’s country? We’re not all in God’s country? We’re not all under God’s umbrella? That’s not necessarily my favorite,” Thompson added.

Morgan Wallen

Morgan Wallen Breaks Silence On Viral ‘SNL’ Departure: ‘Just Ready To Go Home’

Morgan Wallen Breaks Silence On Viral 'SNL' Departure: 'Just Ready To Go Home'

Country Music

“Saturday Night Live” issued an apology for a skit the show did making fun of “The White Lotus” actress Aimee Lou Wood’s teeth, which have been a constant topic of conversation since season 3 of the popular HBO series debuted.
“SNL” addressed the issue during a skit called “The White Potus,” which was mostly making fun of their constant target, President Donald Trump. During one scene, actress Sarah Sherman was meant to portray Wood’s character on the show. Host Jon Hamm, playing Robert F. Kennedy Jr., asks what would happen to people’s teeth if he took all the fluoride out of the drinking water. 
The camera then pans to cast member Sherman, who is wearing exaggerated prosthetic gapped teeth, and replies, “Fluoride? What’s that?”
<iframe loading="lazy" title="The White Potus - SNL" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/o_1GzmjOvKQ?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Wood later addressed the skit, saying in Instagram Stories that she found the skit “mean and unfunny.” 
In another post, the actress claimed she’s “not thin-skinned” and doesn’t mind jokes at her expense if they’re “clever and in good spirits.” But she said the joke about fluoride wasn’t that. 
“I have big gap teeth, not bad teeth,” the British star added.
Wood also insisted that most of that “SNL&#8221; skit was “punching up” because it involved mocking President Trump, his political advisers, and his family. She complained that only the joke about her was an example of being “punched down,” as reported by <a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/aimee-lou-wood-white-lotus-snl-skit-teeth-experts_l_67fd35bfe4b09c14eff55690">HuffPost</a>.
On Tuesday, Wood posted a <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/04/16/entertainment/snl-hasnt-formally-apologized-to-aimee-lou-wood-for-white-lotus-parody/">photo of flowers</a> that Sherman allegedly sent her as a means of apologizing.
Reviews on the skit were mixed. Walton Goggins, who played Chelsea’s love interest, Rick, on “The White Lotus, reacted to the skit with a now-deleted comment that just said, “SMASHING.” Rumors have been circulating that he and Wood were not getting along.
Wood also mentioned in Stories that “SNL” has sent “apologies&#8221; to her, but a new <a href="https://www.tmz.com/2025/04/15/snl-aimee-lou-wood-no-formal-apology-white-lotus-parody-teeth/">report</a> from TMZ refutes that claim. Their insider said no formal apology has been made, even if individuals from the cast may have apologized.
The flowers and apologies come after photos of Wood crying in public while walking down the street with “House of the Dragon” actor Ralph Davis were posted Monday.
Wood later claimed she wasn’t &#8220;crying&#8221; about the “SNL” drama.
One fan wrote of the images, “Shame on SNL for their cruelty,” inspiring Wood to reply, “Thank you so much. Just to say, I actually wasn’t crying about anything that the papers made out &#8230; I was crying about something completely unrelated.”

Sarah Sherman

‘SNL’ Star Sends Flowers To ‘White Lotus’ Actress After Mocking Her Teeth In Skit

'SNL' Star Sends Flowers To 'White Lotus' Actress After Mocking Her Teeth In Skit

Country star Morgan Wallen is taking advantage of his viral moment exiting the “Saturday Night Live” stage by selling themed merchandise based on the social media post he shared afterward.
The 31-year-old recording artist made <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/morgan-wallen-causes-stir-for-abruptly-exiting-snl-stage-get-me-to-gods-country">headlines</a> last weekend with his abrupt exit at the show&#8217;s end after performing two songs, which was a break in tradition. Usually, guests stick around as the credits roll, making Wallen’s quick exit from the stage look like a statement.
Not long after, he shared a photo on an Instagram story of what appeared to be a private plane sitting on a runway with a caption that said, “Get me to God’s country.” SNL is broadcast out of New York City. Wallen lives in Nashville.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Thank you, Mikey Madison and <a href="https://twitter.com/MorganWallen?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MorganWallen</a>! Goodnight! <a href="https://t.co/FDlInhhHqb">pic.twitter.com/FDlInhhHqb</a>
&mdash; Saturday Night Live &#8211; SNL (@nbcsnl) <a href="https://twitter.com/nbcsnl/status/1906220126245880009?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 30, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Now, the “Last Night” singer is capitalizing on the virality of the moment, selling <a href="https://shop.morganwallen.com/">merchandise</a>, including a t-shirt and a hat, repeating that caption. This likely refers to the Instagram story and could also reference a song title in his upcoming album, “I’m the Problem,” which comes out May 16.
Wallen whispered something in “Anora” actress Mikey Madison’s ear before departing the stage but did not appear to say goodbye to anyone else. “SNL” star Keenan Thompson addressed the moment during an <a href="https://ew.com/kenan-thompson-reacts-morgan-wallen-walking-off-snl-stage-exclusive-11706140">interview</a> with Entertainment Weekly. 
&#8220;I don&#8217;t know what goes through people&#8217;s minds when they decide to do stuff like that. I don&#8217;t know if he understood the assignment or not, or if he was really feeling a certain kind of way,” Thompson told the outlet. 
&#8220;It&#8217;s definitely a spike in the norm,&#8221; the longtime cast member <a href="https://ew.com/kenan-thompson-reacts-morgan-wallen-walking-off-snl-stage-exclusive-11706140">added</a>. &#8220;We&#8217;re so used to everybody just turning around and high-fiving us, everybody&#8217;s saying, &#8216;Good job, good job, good job.&#8217; So when there&#8217;s a departure from that, it&#8217;s like, hmm, I wonder what that&#8217;s about?&#8221;
While Thompson admitted that other guests, including Prince, had been “standoffish,” he thought Wallen’s actions were a little more egregious. Later, the comedian also complained about Wallen’s Instagram post. 
&#8220;The &#8216;God&#8217;s country&#8217; of it all is strange because it&#8217;s like, what are you trying to say? You trying to say that we are not in God&#8217;s country? We&#8217;re not all in God&#8217;s country? We&#8217;re not all under God&#8217;s umbrella? That&#8217;s not necessarily my favorite,&#8221; Thompson added.
Wallen has yet to publicly comment on the situation.

Morgan Wallen Sells ‘Get Me To God’s Country’ Merch After Viral ‘SNL’ Exit

Morgan Wallen Sells 'Get Me To God's Country' Merch After Viral 'SNL' Exit

Country singer Morgan Wallen caused some drama during an appearance on “Saturday Night Live” over the weekend, which included him abruptly exiting the stage and later sharing with fans that he was happy to be heading back to “God’s country.”
The 31-year-old resident of Nashville performed two songs during Saturday night’s episode and stuck around until the gathering of cast members at the end, which usually involves hugs and waves to the audience. However, Wallen didn’t stick around for small talk, opting to walk off the stage and past a camera that captured his abrupt movements. 
“SNL” fans were quick to comment on Wallen&#8217;s untraditional exit, which is not the way guests and cast members usually wrap up their appearances.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Thank you, Mikey Madison and <a href="https://twitter.com/MorganWallen?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MorganWallen</a>! Goodnight! <a href="https://t.co/FDlInhhHqb">pic.twitter.com/FDlInhhHqb</a>
&mdash; Saturday Night Live &#8211; SNL (@nbcsnl) <a href="https://twitter.com/nbcsnl/status/1906220126245880009?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 30, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Later, Wallen got even more attention when he posted a photo to Instagram Stories of what appeared to be a private jet ready to depart from the New York area. “Get me to God’s country,” the caption said, per <a href="https://variety.com/2025/music/news/morgan-wallen-snl-walk-off-gods-country-social-post-1236352063/">Variety</a>.
Fans were divided over the drama, arguing over whether it was an accidental faux pas or if Wallen was making a point by exiting the left-leaning show in what many considered a rude manner.
“Wow, Morgan Wallen just walking off the stage during the @nbcsnl credits? In decades of watching SNL, I don’t think I’ve ever seen that. For so many of us, that is sacred ground,” one reaction <a href="https://x.com/jefflocker/status/1906212761589383228">said</a>.
“Morgan Wallen with a little more of the catty-ass petty loser sh** he so proudly displayed running offstage down the center aisle &amp; right past the camera at SNL curtain call,” another reply <a href="https://x.com/AmayaLancelot/status/1906246917174235178">said</a>. “This &amp; the tone-deaf private jet flaunt couldn’t be more lame &amp; undercutting coming from a country star.”
“All this hate to Morgan Wallen because he walked off stage before the end credits as if he hasn’t been getting bashed literally all week by all you insane liberals. He [doesn&#8217;t] owe you anything and you all are low life haters who can’t let go of the past. Like grow tf up,” one commenter <a href="https://x.com/c0ltxn79/status/1906235694286012480">wrote</a>. 
Another <a href="https://x.com/jackunheard/status/1906472485496774981">agreed</a>, “This is so based. SNL is officially irrelevant.”
“SNL” writer Josh Patten joked about the whole debacle, posting a photo to his social media of a Krispy Kreme truck with the back doors open. He included the same caption Wallen used, writing, “Get me to God’s country,” per <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/snl-writer-morgan-wallen-post-1236176118/">The Hollywood Reporter</a>.
When one media outlet suggested that meant Patten was “not a Morgan Wallen fan,” the writer responded with an eye roll emoji and a screenshot of one of his playlists from 2023, which included some of Wallen’s music.
Wallen was a guest on “SNL” to promote his upcoming album, “I’m the Problem,” which comes out May 16.

Morgan Wallen Causes Stir For Abruptly Exiting ‘SNL’ Stage: ‘Get Me To God’s Country’

Morgan Wallen Causes Stir For Abruptly Exiting 'SNL' Stage Post-Performance

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