‘SNL’: Kate McKinnon Shows Her Versatility as Dr. Fauci in COVID-19 Vaccine Cold Open

Saturday Night Live began with a cold open parodying the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s approval of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine on Friday. The sketch was a CNN broadcast, with Wolf Blitzer (Beck Bennett) interviewing Dr. Anthony Fauci (Kate McKinnon) and Dr. Deborah Birx (Heidi Gardner). On Friday night, the FDA approved emergency use authorization for the vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech. It is not clear when most Americans will have access to the vaccine, a point parodied in the SNL sketch.

At one point in the sketch, Blitzer asked Fauci how the vaccine will be distributed in the U.S. “Here’s how we’re going to do it. First, health care workers – you’re McSeemys, your McDreams, what have you,” Fauci began. “And next, we have anyone named Mildred, Horace, Blanche, Mabel, or Walters,” Birx chimed in. “We’re talking about super seniors, anyone who pays for Red Lobster with a diner’s club card,” Fauci said. Birx said prisoners, teachers, and sick people would get the vaccine next. But everyone else would have to wait until “July 202…” Fauci trailed off.

The discussion turned to Fauci’s bad first pitch at a Nationals game after Fauci compared the pitch to President Donald Trump’s pandemic response. Fauci also explained that he had become a sex symbol during the pandemic. Fauci said the vaccine would be distributed to states alphabetically, beginning with “A California” and then “B New York City.”

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This week’s episode of SNL was hosted by actor Timothee Chalamet, who starred in Call Me By Your Name and the upcoming Dune. Bruce Springsteen and The E Street band performed to support Springsteen’s latest album, Letter to You. Next week, former SNL star Kristen Wiig will host, as she stars in Wonder Woman 1984. Dua Lipa, who earned Grammy nominations for her album Future Nostalgia, will perform.

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Last weekend’s episode opened with a cold open on Trump campaign lawyer Rudy Giuliani’s wild testimony before the Michigan state senate, with Kate McKinnon playing the former New York City Mayor. One of the highlights of the sketch was Cecily Strong’s perfect performance of Melissa Carone, whose real testimony went viral because of the confusing way she spoke. This was effectively Strong’s return to the show after being rarely seen during the first batch of episodes this season.

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The Trump campaign and President Donald Trump’s supporters have claimed widespread voter fraud led to President-Elect Joe Biden’s victory, although there is no evidence that uncovering any fraud would overturn the election. During the week, the Supreme Court rejected efforts from Pennsylvania Republicans and Texas to overturn the election. Texas’ lawsuit had the support of over 100 Republican members of the House and over a dozen Republican state attorneys general.

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