Tom Hanks’ recent appearance on Saturday Night Live (SNL) for its 50th anniversary special ignited a wave of controversy, with many criticizing the show for its portrayal of Trump supporters. Hanks, reprising his 2016 role as a White Trump supporter from a rural background, wore a MAGA hat and refused to shake the hand of the Black game show host, played by Kenan Thompson, in a skit parodying Black Jeopardy.
For its 50 year anniversary special, SNL had Tom Hanks play a racist Trump supporter afraid to shake a black man’s hand. Fun fact: Trump’s 2024 election win was the LEAST racially divisive American election since 1964. pic.twitter.com/0gdocaaktH
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) February 17, 2025
The segment, meant as a callback to a similar skit from 2016 that was initially well-received, was met with far less enthusiasm this time around. In typical SNL fashion, the attempt to recapture the charm of the original instead drained any humor from the concept. It also comes across differently following the 2024 presidential election, where Hanks was a very vocal Kamala Harris supporter.
Outkick founder Clay Travis took to X to voice his disapproval, stating, “For its 50-year anniversary special, SNL had Tom Hanks play a racist Trump supporter afraid to shake a black man’s hand. Fun fact: Trump’s 2024 election win was the LEAST racially divisive American election since 1964.”
For its 50 year anniversary special, SNL had Tom Hanks play a racist Trump supporter afraid to shake a black man’s hand. Fun fact: Trump’s 2024 election win was the LEAST racially divisive American election since 1964. pic.twitter.com/0gdocaaktH
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) February 17, 2025
Others joined the chorus, including Link Lauren, a former political advisor to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who labeled the skit a “tired trope” and attributed SNL’s declining ratings to such content.
“Tom Hanks just came out on SNL in a MAGA hat for a bit where he acted like he didn’t want to shake a black man’s hand,” Lauren posted. “This show wonders why their ratings are in the gutter. 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 just came out on SNL in a MAGA hat for a bit where he acted like he didn’t want to shake a black man’s hand.
This show wonders why their ratings are in the gutter. Trump won the popular vote. This tired trope that MAGA is racist is disgusting. SNL is an unfunny show… pic.twitter.com/PlSc7gmiJ0
— Link Lauren (@itslinklauren) February 17, 2025
The post-election episode of SNL, hosted by comedian Bill Burr, averaged 4.4 million total viewers in 2024. That’s a loss more than half of the 9.2 million viewers it got in 2020, according to Nielsen Research.
Conservative influencer Kevin Dalton also weighed in, pointing to Trump’s electoral success as proof that such portrayals are out of touch.
“Tom Hanks in a MAGA hat, horrified at the idea of shaking a black man’s hand, tells you everything you need to know about what the left has learned since November and why they will thankfully continue to lose landslide election after landslide election for the foreseeable future,” Dalton wrote.
President Donald Trump speaks at CPAC in 2017 – YouTube, The New York Times
Hanks’ original 2016 portrayal was praised for highlighting unexpected common ground between rural White Americans and Black communities, but the latest skit has been derided as a hollow mean-spirited rehash by sore losers. Many critics argue that SNL’s increasing reliance on political commentary and repetitive sketches has eroded its comedic value.
Adding fuel to the fire is the fact that Trump made significant gains with Black voters in the 2024 election. About 3 in 10 Black men under the age of 45 voted for Trump, roughly double the number he received in 2020, according to exit polls. This growing support within the Black community makes SNL’s portrayal of Trump supporters as inherently racist feel even more out of touch to many viewers.
Former SNL cast members Jon Lovitz, Kevin Nealon, and Siobhan Fallon Hogan recently shared their thoughts on the changing comedy landscape with Fox News Digital, noting that stand-up comedy has grown “sharper and snarkier” in recent years—a sentiment many feel is reflected in SNL’s current tone.
Kevin Nealon on Saturday Night Live (SNL) – YouTube, Saturday Night Live
“When I started comedy, it was totally different,” Nealon said. “And it was a totally different time and generation, and it was not as much short attention span. I can look back at some of the sketches on SNL, and they’re a lot longer than they are now because of the short attention span. I think also comedy may have gotten a little more snarkier.”
Lovitz echoed his remarks, noting that late not comedy has become increasingly reliant on mining political discourse for humor.
“They’ve become, you know, way more political than they used to be,” Lovitz said. “With Jimmy Kimmel and with Seth Meyers, and with Stephen Colbert. You know, I know those guys. They’re all extremely nice, and they’re all very talented and very funny, but they’re focusing on [politics].”
Tom Hanks and Keenan Thompson in the controversial Black Jeopardy segment on SNL – YouTube, Saturday Night Live
As SNL continues to lean heavily into political satire, this latest Tom Hanks backlash serves as yet another reminder that the once-beloved late-night comedy show is struggling to resonate with broader audiences.
How do you feel about Tom Hanks and his performance on SNL? Sound off in the comments and let us know!
