‘SNL Weekend Update Thursday’ mocks Romney, ‘Fox & Friends’

The first “Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday” aired last night on NBC, continuing an election year tradition that began in 2008. The first show kicked off last night with a sketch about – what else? – Mitt Romney’s “47%” videotape and the determined efforts by the perky hosts at “Fox & Friends” to downplay the nominee’s comments.

Naturally, in the “SNL” version of the undercover videotape, Jason Sudeikis’ Romney puts things in even starker terms than his real-life counterpart. As for “these people” who won’t vote for him, the candidate wasn’t referring to senior citizens, members of the armed services, and especially not Southern whites.

After pausing to make sure his remarks weren’t being recorded, fake-Romney put it blunty. “When I say ‘these people,’ I mean black people.”

The personalities on “Fox & Friends” weren’t bothered. “Call me crazy but I like seeing an honest moment from a politician,” said Gretchen Carlson, played by Vanessa Bayer.

From there, the secret Romney tapes grew gradually more offensive. In one, Romney spit out hamburgers at McDonald’s; in another, he takes a ride in the “Cash Cab” and expresses distrust for employees at hotels in California – “a.k.a. North Mexico.”

But it wasn’t until a fourth videotape of Romney singing a song about poor people in the shower (lyrics: “The only thing the poor hate more than condoms, is waking up and going to a job”) that the “Fox & Friends” gang was finally at a loss.

“That one’s tougher to spin,” said Steve Doocy, played by Taran Killam.

Not to worry, though: Doocy came to the rescue by teasing an ominous-sounding video of a “4-year-old Obama asking for something called pasketti.”

ALSO:

‘SNL’ premiere dominated by political humor

During political conventions, a blue channel and a red channel

Fox’s Gretchen Carlson pranked by fake Obama-turned-Romney supporter

twitter.com/@MeredithBlake

PHOTOS, VIDEOS & MORE:

Timeline: Emmy winners through the years

Celebrity meltdowns

VIDEO: Watch the latest fall TV trailers here