Democrat presidential contender Bernie Sanders will appear on Saturday Night Live this weekend alongside host Larry David, who has done an uncanny impersonation of the Vermont senator on the same program a few times this season.
Sanders will interrupt his scheduled campaign stops in New Hampshire this weekend to fly to New York to tape the show, according to the New York Times.
Saturday’s SNL episode airs just days before the New Hampshire primary, where Sanders holds a comfortable lead over Democrat rival Hillary Clinton, and appearing on the show could give his campaign a national exposure bump just before the first votes are cast in the Granite State.
NBC has not yet announced the candidate’s appearance, but Sanders senior adviser Tad Devine confirmed the news to CNN: “We’ll be live in New York.”
David, the creator of Seinfeld and star of HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm, appeared as Sanders in a skit featuring a mock Democrat presidential debate earlier this season that was widely praised by critics.
Both Clinton and Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump have also appeared on SNL this season, with both candidates confronting versions of themselves played by the show’s cast members.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Jh2n5ki0KE
Of course, Sanders’ appearance is unlikely to engender the controversy that surrounded NBC when Trump hosted the November 7 episode. Thousands of people reportedly signed petitions urging NBC to rescind its invitation to Trump, while some Latino actors pledged to boycott the show and at least one Hispanic lawmaker had said Trump’s hosting gig “endangers” the Latino community.
David also made an appearance during the Trump-hosted SNL, when he jokingly called Trump a racist during the opening monologue in order to collect a $5,000 prize.
The David-hosted episode of SNL airs Saturday night at 11:30/10:30c on NBC.
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