Kate McKinnon pulled double duty in this week’s “SNL” cold open as she began the sketch playing Laura Ingraham and ended it playing Elizabeth Warren — while she stood next to the real Elizabeth Warren. You can check out the sketch in its entirety above. If you just want to see Warren’s appearance, skip to the last two minutes or so.
The sketch began as a pretty standard “Ingraham Angle” cold open, with McKinnon’s Ingraham talking about how nobody should actually care about the coronavirus, echoing the Trump administration’s line about the epidemic that, despite claims that it’s not that big of a deal, is quickly sweeping the globe.
Prior to Warren showing up at the end of the sketch, we actually got another big cameo by former “SNL” cast member Darrell Hammond, who Ingraham introduced as the newest Fox News anchor, Chris Matthews. And Hammond’s impression was spot on.
As the sketch neared its end, Ingraham introduced the show’s final guest, Elizabeth Warren. Since McKinnon usually is the one who plays Warren on “SNL,” there was a brief moment of uncertainty before the actual Elizabeth Warren’s face appeared on screen.
After a few moments, McKinnon sprinted into frame dressed in the same outfit as the real Warren as they ended the sketch and together they delivered that signature “SNL” line, “Live from New York it’s Saturday night!”
As you might expect, the conversation generally centered on what Warren has been up to since she dropped out of the presidential race this week, with Warren delivering one zinger after another.
For example, Ingraham asked who she would endorse for the Democratic nomination now, and Warren replied: “It’s tough. Maybe I’ll just pull a New York Times and endorse them both.” This joke refers to how The New York Times editorial board endorsed both Warren and Amy Klobuchar for the Democratic nomination.
Warren says she’s had a lot of fun now that she’s got a lot more free time, joking that she’s been “prank calling big banks” and “drag racing Subarus.”
Warren also shouted out what might have been her greatest moment during her campaign, when she tore into Mike Bloomberg during one of the primary debates. “Not only did I not accept money from billionaires, I got to give one a swirly on live TV.
She also wanted to remind everyone that despite her defeat, it’s not as though her political career has ended. “I’m not dead, I’m just in the Senate,” Warren quipped.