Kamala Harris‘s surprise appearance on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” on Nov. 2 was “a clear and blatant effort to evade the FCC‘s Equal Time rule,” Republican commissioner Brendan Carr claimed in a social media post.
Harris appeared in the “SNL” cold-open sketch as herself, interacting on stage with Maya Rudolph, who has portrayed the Democratic VP and presidential candidate on the show. In the skit, Harris poked fun at Donald Trump and said the election represents an opportunity to “end the drama-ala.”
The FCC’s rules on political programming “seek to ensure that no legally qualified candidate for office is unfairly given less access to the airwaves — outside of bona fide news exemptions — than their opponent,” according to the agency. “Equal opportunities generally means providing comparable time and placement to opposing candidates” but “does not require a station to provide opposing candidates with programs identical to the initiating candidate.”
In a post on X on Saturday evening before Harris’s “SNL” appearance, Carr, who is a Trump appointee, wrote, “The purpose of the rule is to avoid exactly this type of biased and partisan conduct — a licensed broadcaster using the public airwaves to exert its influence for one candidate on the eve of an election. Unless the broadcaster offered Equal Time to other qualifying campaigns.”
The FCC’s rule requires a broadcaster, in the event of an appearance by a “legally qualified candidate,” to “entertain requests for Equal Opportunities by opposing legally qualified candidates for the same office. However, the station is not required to seek out opposing legally qualified candidates and offer them Equal Opportunities.”
It’s not known whether “Saturday Night Live” extended an offer to Trump’s campaign for him to appear on the show. An NBC spokesperson declined to comment. Reps for the FCC and the Trump campaign did not respond to requests for comment Sunday.
Trump has not appeared on “Saturday Night Live” this season, which is celebrating its 50th season. He has hosted the show twice, once in 2004 and once when he was a presidential candidate in 2015.
In the setup for Harris’s “SNL” cameo, Rudolph said, “This is it: The last campaign stop in Pennsylvania. Gosh, I just wish I could talk to someone who’s been in my shoes, you know? A Black South Asian woman running for president… preferably from the Bay Area?” The audience then applauded and cheered as Harris was revealed on the other side of the mirror, telling Rudolph, “You and me both, sister.”
“Now Kamala: Take my palm-ala,” Rudolph said. “The American people want to stop the chaos.”
“And end the drama-la,” Harris responded. “With a cool new stepmamala. Kick back in our pajamalas, and watch a rom-com-ala,” Rudolph continued. “Like ‘Legally Blonde’-ala!” Harris said. “And start decorating for Christmas — fa-la-la-la-la,” Rudolph said.
“SNL” also posted a behind-the-scenes clip featuring Harris and Rudolph:
