In a parody of Fox News’ fear-mongering over the migrant caravan heading toward the US, Saturday Night Live joked that the group includes “several Babadooks,” “hella Aladdins,” and Thanos, the villain of Avengers: Infinity War. That’s almost as nonsensical as what Fox News is actually peddling.
The caravan, comprised of about 4,000 men, women, and children fleeing violence in Central America, formed in mid-October with the goal of obtaining political asylum to enter the United States. Donald Trump almost immediately began lying about the caravan (he asserted that it’s comprised of “criminals and unknown Middle Easterners“). Since then, it’s been the subject of breathless “coverage” on right-wing news network Fox News.
Leading the charge is Fox host Laura Ingraham, who called the caravan an “invading horde” and has had numerous guests on her show to discuss how Americans should be terrified. One said the caravan is seeking “the destruction of American society and culture.” Another, a former agent with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, lied that the caravan is carrying all kinds of diseases, including leprosy and smallpox, which was globally eradicated in 1980.
But wait, there’s more. Fox News host Jeanine Pirro implied that the caravan might be harboring “pedophiles,” “career criminals,” and “people who think they can beat their wives, you know, without consequence.” Fox News anchor and resident sane person Shepard Smith has tried to be the voice of reason (“There is no invasion. No one is coming to get you,” he said on air Oct. 29), but it’s clear he is the lone exception in a sea of hysteria.
So Saturday Night Live‘s mockery of the Fox News caravan coverage might be funny if it weren’t hardly indistinguishable from the real thing.
In the cold open sketch on last night’s (Nov. 3) episode, Kate McKinnon played Ingraham while Cecily Strong appeared as Pirro, with an assist from Keenan Thompson as former sheriff David Clarke, a frequent Fox News guest.
After showing a video of a crowd storming a Walmart on Black Friday, “Ingraham” asked, “My god. That is real footage of the caravan?”
“It has to be real,” Strong’s Pirro replied. “I found it on TruthEagle.gun.”
They also played clips from the zombie movie World War Z, and footage of crabs scurrying around a beach. Both were meant to be “real” footage of the migrant caravan shown on Fox News.
“Those are humans?” McKinnon’s Ingraham asked of the crabs, completely credulously.
“Basically, yeah,” Thompson, as Clarke, responded.