Rob Schneider Says SNL Was ‘Over’ After Donald Trump Became U.S. President

When Saturday Night Live dabbles in politics, they’re bound to ruffle someone’s feathers. Even veteran Rob Schneider wasn’t pleased with some of the sketch comedy series’ choices. The conservative former cast member recently claimed that Saturday Night Live is “over” and he knows exactly when it happened.

In 1990, Rob Schneider transitioned from writer to cast member for the notorious “bad boy” era that also featured actors like Adam Sandler, Chris Farley, and David Spade. Rob Schneider worked on the show from 1988 through 1994. While the show had its shares of controversies back then, Schneider thinks it’s been worse in recent years.

In a recent interview with Glenn Beck for “The Blaze,” he said, “I hate to crap on my own show,” before doing just that. Additionally, it’s not just “SNL” that he’s critical of. He explained that something changed in all of late-night comedy when Hillary Clinton lost the 2016 election to Donald Trump.

Schneider argued that these shows are looking to “indoctrinate people.” He even pinpointed the exact moment that he felt it was over for “Saturday Night Live” and it was almost immediately after the election. The first sketch after Clinton’s loss stunned half the nation was a cold open featuring Kate McKinnon as Clinton on the piano playing Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.”

“I literally prayed, ‘Please have a joke at the end. Don’t do this. Please don’t go down there,’ And there was no joke at the end, and I went, ‘It’s over. It’s over. It’s not gonna come back.’”

Before the requisite “Live from New York, it’s Saturday night” announcement, McKinnon turned to the camera and said, “I’m not giving up, and neither should you,” instead of making a joke. This isn’t the first time Schneider has been critical of his old stomping grounds. Previously, he took aim at Alec Baldwin’s Trump impression back in 2018 by stating,

“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 said it went beyond “SNL” during his conversation with Beck. Without mentioning any specific names, he said it was like a domino effect across late-night, with people like Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers, Trevor Noah, John Oliver, Samantha Bee, James Corden, and even Jimmy Fallon joining on board. The veteran actor surely has some controversial opinions. You can check him out below.

What’s your take on Schneider’s views on SNL comedy? Let us know in the comments.