Here’s how past presidents have reacted to Saturday Night Live

Barack Obama

No president has had it easier when it comes to Saturday Night Live parodies than President Barack Obama. Through eight years in office and two cast members playing him, Obama never got jabbed too hard.

It could be that President Obama was just so popular that the writers at SNL had trouble making fun of him. Or it could be that he had no major personality tick or gaff that could be exaggerated beyond his voice or ears. Or it could just be the lack of scandals during his two terms that made finding comedy a bit trickier.

President Obama was played first by Fred Armisen and then Jay Pharoah. Both tried to play Obama as cool, calm and collected.  Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson also played a version of Obama for SNL in two sketches that were very well-received.

So for those reasons, President Obama wouldn’t have much reason to lash out at Saturday Night Live. He had already stopped by the show for a surprise cameo in a sketch during his 2008 campaign. And throughout his presidency he displayed a sense of humor and willingness to make fun of himself.

Once President Trump lost the popular vote in 2016 it was confirmed that he wouldn’t have the same response from audiences as President Obama. The constant scandals and investigations have obviously made things worse but provided Saturday Night Live with more material in two years than it had in eight with President Obama.

There you have the history of U.S. presidents with Saturday Night Live. Some ignored the show while others laughed along with the jokes. It’s hard to say which response is best but it’s clear that both are far superior to the one coming from President Donald Trump. A comedy show shouldn’t distract the president or merit such a harsh response. At the end of the day, Trump is just giving SNL more publicity and more material. That is a win for us fans so keep checking in with Last Night On as we cover it all.