Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York got the “Saturday Night Live” treatment this weekend after her showdown with college presidents made waves.
New “SNL” cast member Chloe Troast played Stefanik in the cold open skit, questioning Harvard President Claudine Gay (Ego Nwodim), Penn President Liz Magill (Heidi Gardner) and MIT President Sally Kornbluth (Chloe Fineman) over a rise in antisemitism and Islamophobia on college campuses amid Israel’s war with Hamas. The Republican congresswoman criticized their lack of direct responses to whether or not calling for “the genocide of Jews” would violate schools’ code of conduct.
“I’m going to start screaming questions at these women like I’m Billy Eichner,” Troast’s Stefanik said. “Antisemitism, yay or nay? ... Is calling for the genocide of Jews against the code of conduct for Harvard?”
“Well, it depends on the context,” Nwodim responded as Dr. Gay.
After “UPenn Lady” gave a similarly evasive response, “Stefanik” gave “Kornbluth” a warning: “If you don’t say yes, you’re going to make me look good, which is really, really hard to do. So I’ll ask you straight up. Do you think genocide is bad?”
“Could I submit an answer in writing at a later date?” Fineman’s Kornbluth said.
“Am I winning this hearing? Somebody pinch me!” Troast’s Stefanik said.
The sketch also poked fun at Stefanik’s loyalty to former President Donald Trump and the Make America Great Again movement.
“I am here today because hate speech has no place on college campuses. Hate speech belongs in Congress, on Elon Musk’s Twitter, in private dinners with my donors and in public speeches with my husband, Donald Trump,” Troast said as Stefanik.
The character grew frustrated as the three college presidents refused to say yes to a single question. Stefanik was relieved when Kenan Thompson appeared as the president of the University of Phoenix online, offering to “say yes to anything.”
“See, see, finally. A real president of a real university,” Troast’s Stefanik said. “And will you promise to eliminate all antisemitism from your campus?”
Thompson retorted: “My campus is the internet. Antisemitism is kind of our most popular major and our mascot is porn.”
The jokes were based on real-life testimony by Gay, Magill and Kornbluth before the GOP-led House Education and Workforce Committee on Tuesday. Stefanik, a Harvard alumna who represents New York’s 21st Congressional District in the North Country and Adirondacks, said several times that Gay should resign immediately.
After bipartisan criticism grew over the university presidents’ comments, Gay issued an apology Thursday for failing to properly to denounce threats of violence against Jewish students. Magill resigned Saturday as the University of Pennsylvania’s president and Scott Bok, chairman of the Ivy League school’s board of trustees, also resigned.
“This is only the very beginning of addressing the pervasive rot of antisemitism that has destroyed the most ‘prestigious’ higher education institutions in America,” Stefanik said on X (formerly Twitter) Saturday. She has not yet commented on the “Saturday Night Live” skit.
Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., speaks during a hearing of the House Committee on Education on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2023 in Washington.AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein
Other highlights from Saturday’s episode of “SNL” included host Adam Driver as a baby on an airplane, musical guest Olivia Rodrigo performing “Vampire” and a cameo by Julia Stiles, re-enacting a scene from the 2001 movie “Save the Last Dance.” Episodes are available to watch on Hulu.