SNL Targets Alum Al Franken Amid Sexual Misconduct Allegations

As Saturday Night Live continues to grapple with how to approach new accusations of sexual misconduct against prominent men, this week hit a bit closer to home.

Minnesota Sen. Al Franken was accused last week of kissing and groping radio anchor Leeann Tweeden without her consent during a 2006 USO show for military members overseas. Franken was a founding member of SNL’s writing staff and rose to fame as a performer on it through the 1970s and 1980s.

“Weekend Update” hosts Colin Jost and Michael Che targeted Franken for his actions — showing the photo Tweeden shared of her asleep while wearing a flak vest as Franken appears to grope her breasts.

“I know this photo looks bad, but remember: It also is bad,” Jost said. “And sure this was taken before Franken ran for public office, but it was also taken after he was a sophomore in high school.”

“It’s pretty hard to be like, ‘Oh, come on. He didn’t know any better. He was only 55,'” Jost added.

Che pointed out how President Donald Trump called out Franken on Twitter following the accusations — a move the president has not done for Alabama Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore, who has been accused of sexual misconduct with underage girls.

“Without even looking, you can bet President Trump called out Al Franken and not Roy Moore, who’s accused of way worse, by the way, but Franken is a liberal, and Trump and Moore are conservatives,” Che said.

Franken apologized after the allegations were made Thursday, and Tweeden said she accepted his apology.

In recent weeks, SNL has confronted numerous allegations of sexual misconduct and sexual assault against prominent figures in the entertainment industry like Harvey Weinstein and Louis C.K. The weekly sketch show was at first criticized for delaying its response when the Weinstein allegations first were made public, but SNL subsequently addressed them on “Weekend Update” and in other sketches the following week.

And continuing the trend this week, Jost had some blunt words about how these allegations fit in during this time of the year.

“Thursday is Thanksgiving, and there is so much to be thankful for this year,” Jost said. “Unless you’re a human woman.”

Watch “Weekend Update” below: