Way back in 2004, Donald Trump was a host on Saturday Night Live for the first time. It was well ahead of his 2016 candidacy for president and his controversial second time hosting, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t without some mysterious choices in the sketch department.
During his 2004 appearance, Trump starred as the owner of his own brand of hot wings, promoting them to the audience with the help of some dancing chickens and his bright yellow suit according to PEOPLE.
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The fake ads feature Maya Rudolph, Kenan Thompson, Amy Poehler and Seth Meyers as the dancing chickens, the latter becoming two major critics of the president in the current time. The president also does a little dancing and seems to have a fun time, but it is a sketch that wouldn’t be as memorable if Trump wasn’t currently the president.
my veinspic.twitter.com/ReUiQnwKhL
โ Jerry Dunleavy (@JerryDunleavy) July 24, 2019
It also wouldn’t be as popular or special if it didn’t go missing from SNL‘s DVDs, their Hulu presence, and anywhere else it could have officially lived. According to an Inside Edition report from back in 2015, the sketch was scrubbed by NBC and Saturday Night Live online, forcing many to upload a copy of the clip and send it viral on social media.
With Trump running for president and then winning the 2016 election, the sketch has returned to public view a few times, with many sharing the post on their Twitter accounts and several media outlet writing it up a bit.
The latest revival has brought out a few supporters and critics of the president, and SNL too, pushing it back into the headlines for a bit.
“A dimwitted reality television host is our president, here he is dancing with enormous life size human chickens,” one critic wrote on Twitter. “Did I mention he has the nuclear codes?”
“I believe Trump doesn’t want this gem sharing so whatever you do – do not retweet it,” another added.
May I just state the obvious? This fool cannot dance. Itโs terribly embarrassing.
โ Lisa Gee๐ (@lisageeruns) July 24, 2019
“Funny how fast they’ll turn on you. From a skit to the White House and now they demonize him. What a joke,” a supporter wrote in defense of Trump.
Some people debated how the show treats Trump today compared to this clip, leaving some to think audiences and the cast might have gotten brainwashed.
“He earned his own hatred by is words & actions,” another critic posted.
Fans of SNL shouldn’t expect Trump to return to the series at any point in the near future. Since his controversial appearance during the 2016 election, Trump and the long-running sketch series have been at odds. Alec Baldwin has taken the role of Trump on the show and delivered some scathing takes against the president.
The show will return in the fall, presumably with Baldwin still playing Trump.