SNL Faces Calls To Be Canceled ‘Because It’s Awful’ After Mocking Rogan, Cruz: ‘Embarrassing And Sad’

“Saturday Night Live” is facing calls to be taken off the air by critics who charge that the show has fallen so much from where it once was that pulling it off the air might be the most compassionate move.

The calls for the show to be taken off the air and the mockery that it received over the weekend came in response to the show’s cold open, which mocked Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and famed podcast host Joe Rogan.

Pete Davidson, who played Rogan, was at the center of the backlash over the following interaction that he had with Big Bird:

DAVIDSON: [Inaudible] I used to host Fear Factor and now doctors fear me.

BIG BIRD: Can you help me, Joe?

DAVIDSON: Oh, sure thing, Big Bird. You see, I took Carlos Mencia down, I can take COVID. Here’s some zinc and ayahuasca and some horse medicine.

BIG BIRD: Well, why would a bird take horse medicine?

DAVIDSON: I’m a human and I took horse medicine and I’m speaking of things that are horse-like.

WATCH:

Joe Rogan stopped by Cruz Street… pic.twitter.com/YAaadm2reH

— Saturday Night Live – SNL (@nbcsnl) November 14, 2021

Below are just a few of the most notable responses to the clip:

Ben Shapiro, The Daily Wire: “Every time I think the comedic community has hit the bottom of the comedy barrel, they somehow find a new level of unfunniness.”Tim Dillon, comedian: “People saying SNL hasn’t been funny since the 70s are wrong. Farley, Rock, Sandler, Meyers, Norm.. Cheri Oteri and Molly Shannon were brilliant. Tracey Morgan! Also the Hader/McKinnon era was funny. It’s maybe the singular greatest US comedy platform. But this sketch was BAD. And not bad because of made fun of Joe or Ivermectin. But it did it in the laziest way possible. It was talking points and not jokes. Comedy shows can have a point of view: mine does. But it should also occasionally have comedy.”Lisa De Pasquale, author: “Joe Rogan talking about this sketch will be funnier than anything on SNL in the last 10 years — and be to a bigger audience.”Eric July, rapper: “Who the f*** is even laughing at this s**t, aside from how terrible it is?”Matt Whitlock, political strategist: “SNL thought they had a hit with female cast members dressed as Republicans with Melissa McCarthy so they’ve done it several more times and none have been close to the first. Now it’s just for claps, not laughs.”Kyle Mann, The