Tom Hanks has been blasted for portraying a Trump supporter as a dimwitted ‘racist’ during a skit on Saturday Night Live’s 50th anniversary celebration.
The Hollywood legend made a return as Doug, a clueless rube who dons a Make America Great Again hat and performs surprisingly well on a mock game show called Black Jeopardy.
Hanks first appeared as Doug on Black Jeopardy! in 2016 in an effort to depict both the differences and similarities between Trump voters and black culture.
The character was brought back for the 50th anniversary of the NBC staple, which included comedy sketches from A-listers and SNL alums including Eddie Murphy, Kristen Wiig, Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, Bill Murray, David Spade and Jon Lovitz.
But, as MAGA fans pointed out, President Trump has since won over a diverse electorate and secured the popular vote – turning Doug into an outdated stereotype.
In the new version of the sketch, Doug vehemently refused to shake hands with host Darnell Hayes played by Kenan Thompson.
Afterward, Trump fans blasted SNL and the ‘Forrest Gump’ star for what they viewed as an unfair portrayal.
Former Robert F. Kennedy Jr. aide Link Lauren called the character ‘disgusting’ and accused SNL of pushing a tired, divisive narrative.
‘This show wonders why their ratings are in the gutter,’ he wrote. ‘Trump won the popular vote. This tired trope that MAGA is racist is disgusting. SNL is an unfunny show for snobbish liberal elites.’
Tom Hanks appeared as a MAGA Republican wearing a signature red baseball cap
In one of the early sketches that purported to be a black version of the game show Jeopardy! Tom Hanks dressed up as a racist Trump supporter, appearing as the only white contestant
In a random and divisive move and while wearing a MAGA hat, Hanks portrayed an ignorant racist who refused to shake hands with the African-American host
His sentiments were echoed by other Trump supporters who flooded social media with criticism of the sketch.
Right-wing influencer Dominick McGee took direct aim at Hanks, accusing him of ‘just disrespecting every Republican on SNL as he was dressed up as a Trump supporter with a MAGA hat.’
Another critic pointed out what they saw as an awkward silence during the sketch, writing, ‘No one in the audience laughs as Tom Hanks appears on SNL as a racist Trump supporter that refuses to shake hands with a Black man.’
Trump supporters also used the moment to highlight what they claim is SNL’s declining viewership.
One Trump fan account wrote, ‘Tom Hanks and SNL thought it would be hilarious for him to put on a MAGA hat and act out a stereotype of half the country in a desperate attempt to cope with Democrats’ crushing defeat in November. Not surprising no one watches SNL or NBC anymore.’
During the rest of the three-and-a-half hour broadcast – featuring everyone from Cher to Bad Bunny, Adam Sandler and Scarlett Johansson – the star-studded cast could not help but take cheap shots at Trump.
In another sketch that poked fun at 50 years of drastic changes in New York City, the cast performed a parody of famous show tune I Dreamed a Dream from Les Miserables.
‘I dreamed a dream that King Kong died, then I remembered he’s in Florida,’ sung one cast member, in a thinly veiled swipe at the president who left Manhattan after his first term.
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Many on social media were deeply unimpressed with Hanks’ portrayal of a racist Trump supporter
