Al Franken on SNL’s Political Humor: Broad Appeal Was the Aim

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On Election Night 1988, returning to New York from a Boston event, I reflected on the American political system. My candidate lost, yet the system remained, in my view, largely admirable.

Fellow passenger Jon Lovitz expressed dismay: “Now Dana gets to be the president!”

Jon and I had performed for the Dukakis campaign. It was clear early on that the governor wasn’t winning. My opening joke acknowledged the possibility of a close race or a landslide victory. By the time Jon appeared as Dukakis, Bush had won, but Jon still managed to elicit laughter from the disheartened crowd.

Jon’s dejection stemmed from the significant screen time afforded to the presidential portrayal on *SNL*. Think of past *SNL* presidents like Chevy Chase’s Gerald Ford, Dan Aykroyd’s Jimmy Carter, Phil Hartman’s Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush.

Throughout its run, *SNL* uniquely provided real-time political commentary through live sketch comedy. While late-night shows incorporated political humor, only *SNL* offered fully produced sketches. This live format demanded immediate responses; for example, when Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders discussed sex education, Ellen Cleghorne quickly portrayed her on the show.

During my 15 seasons at *SNL*, I co-wrote numerous sketches with Jim Downey. Jim’s guiding principle for political humor was: “Reward people for knowing stuff, but don’t punish them for not knowing stuff.” We aimed for broad appeal, catering to both politically savvy and less informed viewers.

Before one election, Jim and I crafted a Bush-Dukakis debate sketch. Jokes ranged from broadly comedic (Jon’s short Dukakis needing a lift to reach the podium) to more nuanced (Bush’s vague policy pronouncements).

A highlight involved Kevin Nealon as Sam Donaldson pressing Bush for specifics on hunger and homelessness. Carvey’s Bush offered platitudes, claiming time constraints, only to be gently corrected by Jan Hooks’ Sawyer. Bush’s repeated “Stay the course. A thousand points of light,” prompted Lovitz’s Dukakis to exclaim, “I can’t believe I’m losing to this guy!” The audience roared with laughter.

The sketch avoided partisan bias. Our goal was insightful political satire, a tradition *SNL* maintained for decades before shifting towards more overt advocacy.