Rob Schneider Says Saturday Night Live Overt Liberal Politics Hurt Its Comedy
Actor Rob Schneider, a former Saturday Night Live cast member, has taken issue with the left-leaning..
Actor Rob Schneider, a former Saturday Night Live cast member, has taken issue with the left-leaning politics of his former television home, saying its overt approach to satire makes things “less interesting.”
Speaking to the New York Daily News, Schneider said SNL is less funny because it wears its political heart on its sleeve. Schneider was part of SNL when Mike Myers, Chris Rock and Adam Sandler were also on board, a period considered particularly strong for the long-running, late night comedy romp.
“The fun of Saturday Night Live was always you never knew which way they leaned politically,” he told the Daily News. “You kind of assumed they would lean more left and liberal, but now the cats out of the bag they are completely against Trump, which I think makes it less interesting because you know the direction the piece is going.”
Schneider, who currently stars in Netflixs reality show Real Rob, also found Alec Baldwins portrayals of President Donald Trump particularly vexing. He compared Baldwin unfavorably with Dana Carveys imitations of President H.W. Bush, who Schneider felt skewered with a touch of affection.
“Carvey played it respectfully,” Schneider said. “To me, the genius of Dana Carvey was Dana always had empathy for the people he played, and Alec Baldwin has nothing but a fuming, seething anger toward the person he plays.” Schneider said Baldwin is “hard to watch. Alec Baldwin is a brilliant actor… hes not a comedian.” He added: “I dont find his impression to be comical. Because, like I said, I know the way his politics lean and it spoils any surprise. Theres no possible surprise. He so clearly hates the man hes playing.”
Schneider claims to be politically independent and feels todays partisan politics is particularly ugly. “Literally, if you dont go the party line — youre out. Theres a real ugliness to it,” he said.
While Schneider wont reveal whether he is a Trump supporter, he did not that attacks on the president wont produce results. “Nothing good can come from making Trump nervous,” Schneider said. “Its like asking Bill Cosby to top off your drink.”
Schneider later took to Twitter to amplify his remarks:
