The Tom Hanks SNL controversy erupted after his sketch on the show’s 50th anniversary sparked backlash, especially from Republican viewers. Hanks reprised his “Black Jeopardy!” character, Doug, a Trump supporter in a MAGA hat from a 2016 SNL episode. This time, Doug again avoided a handshake from host Darnell Hayes, saying, “oh no no,” and joked about a “White Jeopardy!” spin-off.
Some conservative viewers felt targeted. One claimed Hanks mocked them as “slobs,” while another called the bit “a desperate attempt to poke fun at half the country.” Threats to boycott Hanks’s films surfaced online.
However, others defended the sketch as typical SNL satire, part of the show’s “long history of skewering current events.”
The controversy highlighted growing political divides, with comedy increasingly viewed as a weapon. While some laughed, others saw it as “ridiculing millions of Americans.”
Ultimately, the Tom Hanks SNL controversy shows that even lighthearted sketches can provoke heated debates in today’s polarized climate.
