The latest episode of “Saturday Night Live” opened with Bowen Yang’s George Santos holding one last press conference before launching into a new rendition of Elton John’s “Candle in the Wind,” complete with comparisons to an “evil Forrest Gump.”
The “SNL” cold open began with Sarah Sherman appearing as Wolf Blitzer to sustained applause from the audience before throwing to Yang’s Santos at an impromptu press conference that he himself called.
“This entire country has been bullying me just because I’m a proud, gay thief,” Yang said in a nod to Santos’ ouster from the House of Representatives this week following an investigation by the House Ethics Committee.
When asked why he was holding this press conference, Yang’s Santos replied, “Well America needs closure. One of their favorite sons, me, has been cut down in the prime of his life at 17 years old.”
George Santos addresses the press about his expulsion from Congress pic.twitter.com/JklznhcLXa
— Saturday Night Live – SNL (@nbcsnl) December 3, 2023
Yang’s Santos tried to level with reporters and insisted “I’m just regular old Professor Major General Reverend Astronaut Santos, Protector of the Realm, Princess of Genovia” – the last title a reference to the Anne Hathaway film “The Princess Diaries.”
Calling on the next reporter, Santos cooked up his next scam and said, “You, give me your mother’s maiden name and childhood pet.”
He also blew off Congress’ decision to toss him out. “To hell with Congress, I don’t need them anyway. Because my new movie opened this weekend, it’s called ‘Renaissance: A Film by Beyonce.’”
He added, “In terms of history, I know how I’ll be remembered. As a martyr. As a champion of the people. They’ll think of me as a modern Princess Diana and a modern Marilyn Monroe.”
It was then that Yang took to a piano and belted out a new version of Elton John’s “Candle in the Wind,” which paid tribute to two icons after their respective deaths.
Some choice lines from the new lyrics included, “They whispered, ‘He used my donations for botox’ and I said, ‘It was fillers, slut,’” and, “It seems to me like I lived my life like an evil Forrest Gump. I’m the guy who lied even too much for Donald Trump,” plus the kicker, “My candle burned out long before I could flee to Peru.”
Goodbye, Congress Queen
— Saturday Night Live – SNL (@nbcsnl) December 3, 2023
Though we never knew you at all pic.twitter.com/g1dIvmbIBU