Rob Schneider: ‘Saturday Night Live’ too Predictably Anti-Trump

Actor Rob Schneider poses for a portrait session during his visit to Australia, at the Par
Kristian Dowling/Getty Images
John Nolte

Saturday Night Live veteran Rob Schneider told the Daily News that he finds the latest incarnation of his old show too left-wing and therefore too predictable, most especially Alec Baldwin’s Trump impersonation.

“The fun of ‘Saturday Night Live’ was always you never knew which way they leaned politically,” he told the Daily News. “You kind of assumed they would lean more left and liberal, but now the cat’s out of the bag they are completely against Trump, which I think makes it less interesting because you know the direction the piece is going.”

Schneider, who was part of the now legendary early 90’s cast that included Dana Carvey, Mike Myers, Chris Farley, Chris Rock, David Spade and Adam Sandler, singles out homophobic actor Alec Baldwin’s impersonation of President Trump as especially bad.

“Alec Baldwin is a brilliant actor… he’s not a comedian,” he said. “I don’t find his impression to be comical because, like I said, I know the way his politics lean and it spoils any surprise. There’s no possible surprise. He so clearly hates the man he’s playing.”

Schneider compared Baldwin’s Trump to Dana Carvey’s iconic impersonation of President George H.W. Bush.

“Carvey played it respectfully,” he said. “To me, the genius of Dana Carvey was Dana always had empathy for the people he played, and Alec Baldwin has nothing but a fuming, seething anger toward the person he plays.”

According to the Daily News, “Schneider did not reveal if he supports Trump, calling himself a centrist. But he thinks the Trump-bashing is counterproductive — and could undermine the President’s success.” He also disagrees with Trump’s position on immigrants but did not elaborate beyond, “I think attacking immigrants is ignorant. Immigrants are what make America great.”

Schneider said he got to know Trump a bit when they co-starred in 1991’s Home Alone 2. Trump has a cameo in the movie and Schneider memorably plays a smarmy bellboy at the Plaza Hotel, which was then owned by Trump.

“[Trump] was nice enough to give me a room. He gave me a room for free, so I could sleep between shots,” Schneider said. “He was very generous and nice and has been nice every time I saw him. He told me hated me, but he was kind of joking because I made fun of him.”

A poll released last February shows that Schneider is not alone in wishing SNL would move on with something other than punch-lines aimed at Trump. Only 33 percent wanted to see more Trump bashing, while 19 percent say they “enjoyed” the jokes but “would like SNL to focus on something else” and 16 percent said they have “not enjoyed the impersonations of the members of President Trump’s administration.”

Baldwin responded to comments Schneider made at another outlet, where he pretty much said the same thing but added that Baldwin is brilliant enough to have been an original SNL player. “I must admit, Rob Schneider does have a point,” the anti-gay character actor tweeted:

Schneider replied by noting his affection for Baldwin and the full context of his comments:

 

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