‘SNL’ Star Colin Jost Likens Donald Trump’s Appearance to ‘Confederate Statue’ of Entertainment

Colin Jost has addressed the much-talked-about episode of Saturday Night Live hosted by then-candidate Donald Trump. In his new memoir, A Very Punchable Face, Jost did not speak highly of the 2015 episode.

The “Weekend Update” host called the installment Trump hosted “a real Confederate statue of entertainment” and that it “has not aged well, politically or comedically.” In an interview with MSNBC on Friday, Jost did admit that he was surprised how much time Trump devoted to rehearsing while running for president. “He was fully in the middle of the campaign and somehow was also there hosting our show every day, which is a pretty strange thing,” Jost said. He also noted that he seemed to spend more time in the studio then Justin Bieber did when he hosted.

The episode, which aired in November during the show’s 41st season, was met with controversy almost immediately, given his already inflammatory and outright racist rhetoric leading up to his hosting gig. Despite numerous petitions, the episode aired, which featured Trump for a total of 11 minutes across the 90-minute broadcast. The series later honored the equal time provision by having former candidates Hillary Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders for guest spots in other episodes.

It was also the second time Trump has hosted the show. He’d previously taken center stage back in 2004, right around the time the first season of The Apprentice concluded.

Despite his hosting duties, Trump has remained a regular target of SNL, particularly with Jost and his “Weekend Update” co-host Michael Che. He’s also been regularly played by Alec Baldwin throughout his term, who most recently showed up on the most recent season finale, skewering his then-recent comments about how disinfectants could be used to treat coronavirus.

Ahead of the book’s release, Jost also revealed that he’s been preparing “mentally” for the possibility of exiting Saturday Night Live after 15 years on the job. Jost did write that he wants to stay on SNL at least until the upcoming 2020 election is over, which is less than 100 days away as of Monday. Of course, this means that he could conceivably be gone as early as November, given Trump’s current poll numbers.

Although it’s also possible that he could give his curtain call during the show’s annual midseason break over the holidays. As far as the show’s upcoming Season 46 returning to the studio or resuming remote broadcasts, Jost admits he doesn’t “know yet,” adding, “but we’re going to do everything we can.”