‘SNL’ makes the ‘audit’ a punchline during ‘Cruz Street.’ That’s not the only Arizona joke
For comedians, if not citizens, the Arizona “audit” is the gift that keeps on giving, as “Saturday Night Live” reminded us again.
Yes, the “audit” of the 2020 election, subject of so many late-night comedy show jokes, was back for one more. It wasn’t the only Arizona-related joke in the Nov. 13 show, hosted by Jonathan Majors with musical guest Taylor Swift, but it was probably the most embarrassing.
Of course anything as absurd as an amateur-hour attempt to cast doubt on the legitimacy of a legitimate election is going to stick around for a while as fodder for jokes — for comedians it’s become the political equivalent of, “Take my wife. Please.” But truly, this is some staying power.
And all it took was a single word: “Arizona.”
The cold open sketch had Ted Cruz, Big Bird and the Arizona ‘audit’
In some respects it was just ridiculousness piling on ridiculousness. The show opened with Arizona-born Aidy Bryant back as Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas). He was infamously “outraged” at Big Bird of “Sesame Street” fame getting vaccinated against COVID-19. Cruz carried out an ill-fated Twitter attack on Big Bird — you might as well kick a puppy on national TV.
Bryant’s Cruz began by saying, “For 50 years I stood by as ‘Sesame Street’ taught our kids dangerous ideas like numbers and kindness. But when Big Bird told children to get vaccinated against a deadly disease, I said, ‘Enough! And I created my own ‘Sesame Street’ called ‘Cruz Street.’ It’s a gated community where kids are safe from the woke government.”
The “show” appeared on Newsmax Kids, following “White Power Rangers.” Guests on “Cruz Street” included Cecily Strong playing a gun-toting Marjorie Taylor Greene, who said the show was brought to you by the letter Q — “Not the letter. The man. He will tell us when JFK Jr., who is alive, will reveal himself and help President Trump reclaim his rightful throne.”
This is something some QAnon followers actually believe. It’s beyond parody. Truth continues to be stranger than fiction, if not always quite as funny.
Pete Davidson as Joe Rogan also stopped by, because of course, along with Big Bird himself (Kyle Mooney), who suffered all kinds of maladies after being vaccinated, at least in this version of events.
So it went with other guests until Bryant’s Cruz said they were about to break for commercial, after which the Recount Count (Aristotle Athari) would visit and explain how Trump “definitely” won the election.
More:Things are changing for Aidy Bryant. Here’s what’s next
The Count then wandered by and said only, “I’m moving to Arizona!”
Ha. Ugh.
The sad part is that the show doesn’t even have to spell out the specifics of the joke. Just combine “recount” and “Arizona” and you’re guaranteed a laugh.
Unless you live here, and lived through it.
Besides, we already have a Count — Garrett Archer, the data analyst for ABC15 News.
‘SNL’ wasn’t quite done with Arizona jokes
The show wasn’t quite done with Arizona. During the “Weekend Update” segment, co-host Colin Jost told a joke about Arizona’s Jake Angeli, the so-called “QAnon Shaman” who was among those who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. Angeli pleaded guilty to a felony count of obstructing a civil proceeding.
Prosecutors recommended 51 months in prison for Angeli, Jost reported (that part’s true).
“They chose that because 5 plus 1 equals 6; 666 is the mark of the beast; 6 plus 6 plus 6 is 18, minus 1 for one nation under God equals 17, and the 17th letter of the alphabet is, say it with me, Q.
“It almost makes too much sense.”
To some it probably does. What a world.
Reach Goodykoontz at bill.goodykoontz@arizonarepublic.com. Facebook: facebook.com/GoodyOnFilm. Twitter: @goodyk. Subscribe to the weekly movies newsletter.
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