Alec Baldwin makes 'SNL' comeback as Bret Baier after 'Rust' manslaughter case dismissal
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Alec Baldwin returned to 'Saturday Night Live' for the first time since 2020, but this time he left his iconic Donald Trump impression behind.
Instead, he stepped into the role of Fox News anchor Bret Baier on the long-running show's Saturday, October 19 episode.
The sketch took aim at Baier’s recent interview with Vice President Kamala Harris — played by Maya Rudolph, who’s been a regular in Season 50.
Bret Baier meets Kamala Harris in 'SNL' style
As the episode kicked off, Rudolph’s Harris had a quick quip for Baldwin's Baier. "The pleasure is neither of ours," she said after their introduction, setting the tone for a snarky exchange.
Baldwin—as Baier—started with a dig at the VP, “When I interviewed President Trump, my first question was, ‘What do you think is the most important issue facing our nation?’ So my first question for you is, ‘Give me the exact number of murderers you let loose in this country.’”
From there, the two bickered just like in the real-life interview.
“May I please finish?” Rudolph asked. Baldwin shot back, “I’m asking you to,” to which she replied, “Well, then, you have to listen.” Baldwin wasn’t having it: “Well, I can’t, because I’m talking.” A frustrated Rudolph finally asked, “Well, when will you stop?” Baldwin answered dryly, “Maybe when I go to bed.”
Rudolph's Harris then threw in a zinger about her tough stance on crime, “If I was in Breaking Bad, it would have ended in three episodes.”
The real Baier interview had its own drama when a clip of Trump’s comments about using the military on the “enemy within” got edited out on Fox News. Baier later apologized for the slip-up, but 'SNL' didn’t miss a chance to parody it.
In the skit, Baldwin rolled out clips of Trump (played by James Austin Johnson) boasting about being “investigated more than Al Capone” and dancing to 'YMCA'.
Rudolph took a jab at Trump’s love for dancing. “He can dance all he wants to YMCA or to any other song he doesn’t realize is a gay anthem," she quipped.
More 'j’brilliant' exchanges
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Throughout the sketch, Baldwin kept pressing Rudolph's Harris trying to get her to insult Trump supporters. “Are they morons? Slack-jaws? Stump-humpers? Cross-eyed meatheads?” he asked, pushing for a reaction. Rudolph countered, “You’re trying real hard to make me say something bad!”
When Baldwin suggested she thought Trump supporters were fat, she tried to steer the conversation away. He pushed back, “So you’re not denying that they’re fat?”, leaving her to fume, “Oh, my dear god!”
In a bit that got plenty of laughs, Baldwin’s Baier added, “You’re very sexy when you’re angry, you know that?” The audience burst out laughing as Rudolph shot back with a confident, “Yes, I do.”
The sketch also riffed on Harris’ comments about her own presidential style compared to Joe Biden’s. Rudolph’s version of the VP praised Biden while calling him “J’Biden” and saying, “And J’Biden is j’bright, he is j’brilliant, but my presidency will j’basically j’be j’billion times j’better.”
She continued with a cheeky note on their differences, “We’re very different. For example, I’m comfortable saying the word ‘abortion.’”
Baldwin pretended to be horrified, shuddering at every mention of words like “uterus” and “menstruation.” When he tried to get back at her by saying “balls,” she kept a straight face, playing it cool.
As the sketch wrapped up, Baldwin tried to give Rudolph the floor to make her case to the American people—only to interrupt her repeatedly.
Fed up, Rudolph sighed and slipped in the show's classic line to close things out, “Before I go, can I just say the thing I’ve been trying to say this whole time? Live from New York, it’s Saturday night!” Variety reported.
Alec Baldwin’s 'SNL' comeback after 'Rust' controversy
Alec Baldwin’s appearance marked his first time on the show in a while. He did show up briefly last season but has mostly handed over the Trump role to cast member James Austin Johnson after the tragic Rust shooting incident in 2021.
This week’s episode featured Michael Keaton as the host (cue the 'Beetlejuice Beetlejuice' jokes) and Billie Eilish as the musical guest.
While his return to SNL was light-hearted, Baldwin’s real life has been anything but. Back in July, his involuntary manslaughter charges related to the Rust shooting were abruptly dropped. New Mexico Judge Mary Marlow Sommer criticized the prosecution for keeping key evidence under wraps.
The charges stemmed from a 2021 incident on the Rust movie set where Baldwin accidentally fired a gun loaded with a live round, killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injuring director Joel Souza. He was facing up to 18 months in prison for allegedly failing to follow proper gun safety measures.
Baldwin’s legal defense has been led by Alex Spiro, who’s currently representing NYC Mayor Eric Adams in a separate corruption case, the New York Post reported.
