Saturday Night Live has been churning out celebrity impersonations of political figures for over a year now, and with every new portrayal comes a reaction from the real-life person portrayed. Rex Tillerson was a little late to the game to comment on John Goodman's portrayal of him on the show back in 2016, but now the world finally knows how he felt about the SNL skit he was parodied in. Tillerson was asked if he laughed after witnessing the skit, and the Secretary of State confirmed he gave a hearty chuckle perhaps as booming as Goodman's in the sketch:
Absolutely. Absolutely. I laughed out loud.
The skit, which was shown Saturday, December 18, 2016, featured President Donald Trump on Christmas afraid of getting Scrooged by ghosts. John Goodman's Rex Tillerson entered the sketch to see the President, but then very quickly began to talk shop with Vladimir Putin, who had entered the Saturday Night Live sketch via chimney not long before. The fake Tillerson and Putin exchanged secret handshakes, talked about prices of oil and future plans, and dismissed the President, who quizzically asked when the administration would go after Vanity Fair. Despite a portrayal of Tillerson that some might find unflattering, The Hill reported the former Exxon Mobil CEO got a kick out of watching the sketch and actually found out about it via his children.
Rex Tillerson's ability to laugh at his satirical portrayal is another positive checkmark for Saturday Night Live, which appears to have flattered more politicians than it's offended with these political portrayals. Both Donald Trump Jr. and former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer both had a laugh at their satirical selfs, and Kellyanne Conway seemed a good enough sport despite her notes for Kate McKinnon. Despite that, SNL has gotten some heavy negative feedback from President Donald Trump, who has made it known he does not care for the way actor Alec Baldwin portrays him. The show has since tried to extend an olive branch to the President since his inauguration by inviting him back on the show, but it doesn't appear as though it's going to win the love of the most important man in Washington at the moment. If SNL can't get Trump, perhaps it can coax Tillerson into an appearance for a sequel to his sketch:
Saturday Night Live airs on NBC Saturdays at 11:30 p.m. ET. For information about shows set to premiere in 2018, whether they're new or returning favorites, head on over to our midseason premiere guide. To get the lowdown on who's hosting and acting as musical guests on Saturday Night Live this season, be sure to check out our SNL Season 43 guide.
