Saturday Night Live had a surprise for audiences in its opening sketch of 2018, debuting Bill Murray as Steve Bannon in a sendup of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” sparring with Fred Armisen’s Michael Wolff, the author of “Fire and Fury.”
Trump’s former strategist has been portrayed on the show before as the grim reaper in a skull face mask. In Saturday night’s opening segment, Murray threw off his black hood to reveal the Bannon character, complete with shaggy hair, blotchy complexion, and a crumpled outdoorsy coat.
Alex Moffat and Kate McKinnon, as gross, flirty versions of Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski on “Morning Joe,” asked Bannon what he was up to since leaving the White House. “I’m working on a web series for Crackle. It’s called ‘Cucks In Cars Getting Coffee,'” Murray replied. “I’m also coming out with a new line of wrinkled barn jackets.”
“The Bannon magic is still out there,” Murray as Bannon said. “I convinced this country to elect Donald and I can do it again.” He went on to say he was already auditioning prosective candidates, like Logan Paul, Martin Shkreli, and “Jared Fogle, he’s back. He’s electable.”
“It’s time for America to slide down the Bannon-ster,” Murray said. “The Bannon dynasty is dawning.”
Former cast member Fred Armisen nailed it as Michael Wolff, whose “Fire and Fury” book quoted Bannon saying that Donald Trump Jr. was treasonous and would crack like an egg under pressure—Murray’s Bannon pretty much agreed that he had said that.
Armisen, to the question on what he hadn’t put in the book, said there were “baby races.”
“Trump would ask to have two babies placed in his office, usually of different ethnicities,” he said. “Someone would put a bowl of Goldfish crackers on the other side of the room. Trump would say, ‘A thousand bucks on the black one.’”
As for the book’s accuracy, which has been questioned, Armisen said: “You read it, right? You liked it? You had fun? What’s the problem? You got the gist, so shut up. Even the stuff that’s not true, it’s true.”
The sketch also had one last surprise impersonation: Oprah. Watch it here: