‘SNL’ Throws Shade at Ellen DeGeneres During ‘Drew Barrymore Show’ Skit

Saturday Night Live poked fun at Ellen DeGeneres and Drew Barrymore all at once this weekend in the sketch comedy show’s season premiere. A digital sketch featured Chloe Finneman playing Barrymore in an ad for her new talk show as the “new face in daytime.” The writers landed a few jokes about the workplace controversies surrounded DeGeneres over the summer.

“After seeing what went down with Ellen, we took a hard turn in the other direction,” explained the voice-over announcer in this fictional ad. Finneman then said: “I am just like you — a BoHo free-spirit mommy mother movie star since I was six!” Several other jokes revolved around Barrymore being out of touch with her audience and with working Americans, but the hardest jab at Ellen came when addressing Barrymore’s treatment of the crew on her show.

“And don’t worry about her being mean to the crew,” the announcer said, “they say she maintains eye contact too long and is too emotionally supportive!” At the same time, Finneman tried to embrace a cameraman, saying “I’m a hugger, I’m a hugger,” while the masked man backed up with his arms out. Finally, Finneman tackled the man while his guard was down.

The skit showed just how much the public sentiment about wealthy celebrities has changed recently and perhaps indicates that audiences are fatigued by talk shows in general. However, it did not necessarily bet against Barrymore’s burgeoning show. In the end, the announcer read the tag line: “The Drew Barrymore Show — you’re in your bed anyway. Just watch it!”

So far, DeGeneres has not responded to the skit’s obvious digs at her show, but the real-life Barrymore has. In a tweet on Sunday morning, she commented: “[Chloe Finneman] is the greatest thing. I have loved SNL for as long as I know, and to also have [The Drew Barrymore Show] brought to the party is so fun. Honored to be a part of it. P.S. [Drew’s News] hearts [Weekend Update].”

The Drew Barrymore Show is a new daytime talk show from CBS TV, created during the coronavirus pandemic and featuring Barrymore almost alone in her studio. Since premiering last month, the show has already spawned several viral videos online, with fans wondering who the series is meant to appeal to. Barrymore’s eccentric demeanor struck many critics as a poor fit for today’s TV climate.

The Drew Barrymore Show airs on weekdays on CBS. Saturday Night Live will be back each weekend this month at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBC.