Saturday Night Live is no stranger to pushing boundaries, but this weekend, the show found itself in hot water.
Fans erupted online after comedians delivered what many saw as a half-hearted take on ICE and President Trump.
Social media users described the skits as “tone deaf” and “way too tame” in light of recent deadly incidents involving federal agents.
Weekend Update Sparks Outrage
During the popular Weekend Update segment, co-host Michael Che addressed tensions between civilians and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents following the tragic deaths of two people in Minnesota.
Che attempted a joke about the controversial law enforcement agency, saying, “I get that ICE agents are people…allegedly…and they have a job to do.
But at some point, while you’re pepper spraying old ladies or shooting at a nurse, do you ever stop to ask yourself, ‘Are we d**s?’”*
While the studio audience laughed, many viewers online were far from amused.
Left-leaning fans quickly criticized the skit for not going far enough and failing to fully grapple with the gravity of the situation.
Fans Call Out “Soft” Humor
Comments flooded X (formerly Twitter) and other platforms.
One user wrote, “‘Don’t be such d**s’ is a pretty big misreading of the room. ICE is engaging in Gestapo-like tyranny, and no mail-it-in putdown is going to cut it.”*
Others echoed the sentiment, pointing to recent atrocities committed by ICE agents.
“That nurse was murdered in the streets, and they are kidnapping children. And that’s the best of it,” one comment read.
“Yeah. Read that sentence again. The worst is happening elsewhere.”
Some fans went even further, arguing, “Not a strong enough admonishment. They aren’t ‘d**s.’ They are murderers. Cute jokes no longer cut it.”*
Others criticized SNL for seemingly normalizing brutality under the guise of satire.
The Minnesota Tragedy
The backlash comes after the killing of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old Minnesota nurse, by Border Patrol agents in public streets.
Disturbing footage of the incident shows Pretti being pepper-sprayed, forced to his knees, and pinned face-down on the pavement.
Multiple DHS agents struggled to restrain him, and at one point, an officer pulled a handgun from Pretti’s waistband.
Accounts suggest the gun may have misfired while in the officer’s hands, prompting another agent to fire into Pretti’s back. In total, roughly ten shots were fired, even as Pretti lay motionless.
Federal officials have yet to clarify why lethal force continued after Pretti appeared restrained and disarmed.
Satire vs. Reality
The incident has reignited debates over how media and comedy handle real-life violence.
Many SNL fans argue that joking about such events trivializes serious issues like federal overreach, civilian casualties, and systemic abuses of power.
“SNL needs to ask why are ‘old ladies and nurses’ defending illegal aliens who are gang members and child rapists from being deported?” one comment read, reflecting the polarizing opinions circulating online.
What Comes Next
As outrage continues, both SNL and its audience are left grappling with the delicate balance between humor and accountability.
With tensions high and federal actions under scrutiny, questions linger: How far can comedy go when real lives hang in the balance, and will shows like SNL rise to the occasion or continue to misread the room?
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