On the eve of the Super Bowl LV faceoff between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Saturday Night Live spoofed the predicted upcoming advertisements the night of the big game given the political tension in the nation right now. In their cold open for last night's episode (February 6), the sketch comedy series satirized how some of the TV advertisers might try to capitalize on the moment in a misplaced attempt to make "all viewers feel welcome."
"In these times, what you stand for means more than ever," a monotone narrator recites in the sketch’s first spoofed ad as a montage of historic moments from Black history and the Civil Rights Movement flash across the screen. "We’ve learned once again that freedom isn’t free," the narrator continues on. "But we must always strive for equality and we must always reach for … Cheez-its. Cheez-its – historically delicious."
"What the hell?! That was a commercial for Cheez-its?" asks an outraged cast member Keenan Thompson, who plays one of the five CBS Super Bowl commentators in the sketch. Another commentator goes on to promise, though, to "balance out the so-called progressive ads we’re airing some with a more conservative slant."
In the next fake commercial, Papa John’s pizza takes aim at conspiracy theorists. "We know you want real ingredients, no additives, no preservatives and no child sex trafficking in the basement," a man says in the ad’s voiceover, mocking the strange Pizzagate conspiracy from 2016 generally considered to be the predecessor to QAnon.
The narrator adds, "Sorry, Democrats, you’ll have to get your child sex pizza over at Hillary’s Pizzeria," while flashing a fake pizza restaurant logo with former FLOTUS Hillary Clinton’s photo. The commercial ends with the narrator reminding diners to stop by with their "Q-Pon" today, of course, a reference to the QAnon conspiracy.
"That’s a pizza ad?!" Thompson asks again, still outraged. Watch the full sketch for yourself below ahead of tonight's showdown.
Saturday's show featured Schitt's Creek actor Dan Levy as the celeb guest host and Phoebe Bridgers as the musical guest.
