Tom Hanks has sparked backlash from Donald Trump supporters after his character, Doug, made an appearance wearing a MAGA hat during the 50th anniversary special of Saturday Night Live.
On Sunday (February 16), stars from all over gathered in New York to mark the milestone for SNL’s half-century celebration.
Celebrities like Meryl Streep, Martin Short, Jack Nicholson, and Aubrey Plaza were just a few of the A-listers present to celebrate the show’s 50th birthday.
Hanks was also part of the celebration, and the actor appeared in a sketch that has stirred some controversy among Trump’s supporters.
The Forrest Gump star wore a red “Make America Great Again” cap while playing a character named Doug on a parody game show called Black Jeopardy.
In the skit, Kenan Thompson, the host of the parody show, attempted to shake Doug’s hand, but Doug initially pulled away.
After a moment, Doug went ahead with the handshake but quickly added: “Don’t like that, whoa, whoa, whoa. Maybe I’ll start a show for you to come on and we’ll call it White Jeopardy.”
Since the skit aired, many Trump supporters have expressed their frustration on Twitter, and it’s clear that most were not pleased.
One tweet read: “Tom Hanks appeared on SNL dressed like a slob, mocking millions of Trump supporters—depicting them as foolish, racist rednecks.
“Keep it up, libs. You’ll never win another election again.”
Link Lauren, a former advisor to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., commented: “Tom Hanks just appeared on SNL wearing a MAGA hat for a skit where he pretended not to want to shake a black man’s hand.
“This show wonders why their ratings are so low. Trump won the popular vote. This tired stereotype of MAGA being racist is disgusting. SNL is an unfunny show for pretentious liberal elites. The current Republican Party is a broad coalition, many of whom were once Democrats. Good riddance, SNL!”
A third Trump supporter wrote: “Nobody in the audience laughs as Tom Hanks plays a racist Trump supporter on SNL who refuses to shake hands with a black man,” while another said: “This makes me angry. SNL aired a skit tonight with Tom Hanks as a MAGA racist… he literally pulls away when a black game show host tries to shake his hand.”