Midway through the Jessica Chastain-hosted episode of S.N.L. the actress came out in character and wig as a fictional game show host named Veronica Elders. “Veronica” posed questions about the many outrageous misdeeds—both real and speculative—of Donald Trump and asked each contestant “What Even Matters Anymore?” Essentially, it was your Twitter feed brought to life. By the end of the sketch, however, the cast members were referring to Chastain as “Jessica” in yet another instance where the sheer improbability of the Trump presidency has broken the premise of S.N.L.
The sketch devolving into a fourth-wall-breaking therapy session for a traumatized Chastain was, of course, the plan all along. As “Veronica” got more and more despondent, Kate McKinnon interrupted the sketch to tell her she didn’t have to make them all go through the motions of a game show in order to process her feelings about Trump’s teflon status.
This is the second time (at least) since Trump’s ascendancy that McKinnon has broken character to make a larger point. On the eve of the election, after months of taking joking jabs at each other in a series of mock debates, McKinnon as Hillary Clinton and Alec Baldwin as Donald Trump hit pause on their schtick in order to run around Times Square and hug random strangers. The stunt was enormously popular—especially with the tourists in Times Square. Chastain’s sketch also ended with a hug—albeit a much more despondent one.
Get Vanity Fair’s HWD NewsletterSign up for essential industry and award news from Hollywood.Joanna RobinsonJoanna Robinson is a Hollywood writer covering TV and film for VanityFair.com.
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