‘SNL’: Daniel Kaluuya Shades Royal Family Over Meghan Markle Interview During Monologue

Daniel Kaluuya was the latest celebrity to take to the Saturday Night Live stage. During his opening monologue, Kaluuya, who is from London, made a reference to Meghan Markle and Prince Harry‘s interview with Oprah Winfrey, which aired in early March. In particular, he referenced what the Duke and Duchess had to say about the way the British Royal Family allegedly handled the topic of race.

Kaluuya started his monologue by saying, “First of all, I know you’re hearing my accent and thinking, ‘Oh no, he’s not Black — he’s British.” He then assured the audience that he is both, and added, in reference to the royal family’s reported concerns over baby Archie’s skin color, “Basically I’m what the royal family was worried the baby would look like.” That wasn’t all that the Get Out actor had to say about the topic, as he went on to differentiate the racism that those in the United Kingdom and the United States face. Kaluuya said that when people ask him whether racism is worse in America or across the pond, he says, “Let me put it this way, British racism is so bad, white people left. They wanted to be free — free to create their own kind of racism. So that’s why they created Australia, South Africa and Boston.”

Kaluuya’s turn on SNL comes almost exactly a month after Markle and Harry’s interview with Winfrey aired. The couple sat down to chat about how they stepped down as senior members of the British Royal Family, with them both explaining that they felt as though they needed to leave the situation for their own well-being. During the course of the interview, Markle made a series of claims about her time as a working member of the family, including that she experienced suicidal thoughts and that the “Institution” (the Royal Family) did not allow her to seek treatment. She also said that one member of the family, whom she and Harry did not identify, raised concerns about how dark the skin of their child would be.

Of course, Queen Elizabeth I and Buckingham Palace did release a statement after this interview a couple of days after it aired. They said that they were “saddened to learn the full extent of how challenging the last few years have been” Markle and Harry. The statement added that “the issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning,” with the queen noting that “while some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately.”