Saturday Night Live‘s cold open was indeed what many had asked for: a biting parody of Alabama Sen. Katie Britt‘s cringey rebuttal to President Joe Biden‘s State of the Union address Thursday.
SNL‘s Britt, played by Scarlett Johansson, told viewers from the start that for the next few minutes, she would be “auditioning for the part of scary mom” and “performing an original monologue called ‘This Country Is Hell.’”
“My husband, Wesley, and I just watched President Biden’s speech, and what I saw was the performance of a permanent politician. But me? I’m not performing. I’m not! I’m not!!” she exclaimed, throwing her hand up to her forehead theatrically.
“First and foremost, I’m a mom. And like any mom, I’m going to do a pivot out of nowhere into a shockingly violent story about sex trafficking. And rest assured, every detail about it is real, except the year, where it took place, and who was president when it happened,” Johansson’s character continued, referring to how Britt cited events that took place in Mexico in the mid-2000s to criticize Biden’s immigration policies.
“And tonight, I am not just responding to the State of the Union. I am also selling these gorgeous bejeweled cross necklaces for QVC,” she went on, now portraying a host on the shopping network channel.
After a few more abrupt tone changes, including getting “weirdly seductive for no apparent reason,” she alluded to the acclaimed 2017 horror film Get Out.
“My tea is ready,” she said ominously, clanking her spoon around in a teacup before the camera cut to Kenan Thompson with tears streaming down his face.
“But to the American people who are struggling right now, know this: We hear you. We see you. We smell you,” she concluded. “We’re inside your kitchen right now looking through your fridge. And what’s that on the top shelf? Migrants!”
Lastly, Johansson’s character hinted at the lack of future political success that seems to have befallen those who have delivered State of the Union rebuttals.
“To the president of the United States, I’ll just say this: Mr. Biden, this isn’t the last you’ll see of Katie Britt,” she said. “Maybe not in politics. But when you close your eyes, I’ll be right there.”
Britt’s melodramatic response has not only been mocked online and on television, but GOP operatives, conservative Capitol Hill staffers and lawyers, and senior members of Donald Trump‘s 2024 campaign admitted to Rolling Stone how much of a letdown it was.
“I’ll give Biden this,” one GOP consultant put it. “He at least gave a better speech than Katie Britt.”
