During the 'Weekend Update' segment, the NBC show parodies the LSU basketball star, who made headlines in recent weeks for taunting Iowa Hawkeyes' Caitlin Clark and criticizing Jill Biden.
- Apr 10, 2023
AceShowbiz - "Saturday Night Live" tackled the controversy surrounding LSU women's basketball star Angel Reese in its new episode. In the Saturday, April 8 episode of the hit NBC comedy show, the cast members parodied the young athlete.
During the "Weekend Update" segment, cast member Punkie Johnson joined anchor Michael Che as Angel. Donning an LSU jersey, she made an entrance by pointing to her ring finger, referring to the controversial gesture made by Angel during her team's game against the Iowa Hawkeyes at the NCAA Championship final.
"Yea, I got people big mad," Punkie's Angel said after Michael commented on her having had a big week. "First, they were mad 'cause I was taunting ... Then, they were mad because I didn't want to go to the White House."
"But hey, they invited the Iowa too," she continued. When Michael noted that Iowa lost in the game, Punkie's Angel responded, "Exactly. In the history of sports, when you lose, you take your a** home. But then, white girls lose and suddenly, all teams matter."
Later, Punkie revealed that she's "a big deal" now and might land some endorsements soon. She then pitched some catchphrases for items like garden gnomes and eyelashes before celebrating the success of the tournament.
While some fans found the skit funny, some others were not impressed. "SNL never been funny, bring back MadTV," one user wrote on Instagram. "Cringe but I never really found them funny either. The 'aggressive' I definitely didn't like though," someone else added.
"Not funny. Straight stereotyping. Funny thing is Angel don't even talk like this. Angel is very intelligent, articulate and very well spoken. The girl went to private schools," another comment read. Echoing the sentiment, one fan added, "It's cringe it's more cringe because it's black people trying to bring down a black queen s**ts weird."
However, one viewer defended the show. "I saw it last night and did NOT cringe. I laughed because it's comedy. I forgot how funny SNL was. Yall couldn't last in In Living Color Era and you prove it everyday," the fan noted.
Angel made headlines after she taunted Iowa Hawkeyes' Caitlin Clark after LSU Tigers led the game. Angel pointed to her finger, signifying that it was her turn to get that championship ring. She also hit Caitlin with the John Cena "you can't see me" taunt. However, it should be noted that Caitlin started it first as she had made the taunt in Iowa's Elite Eight win when she had a 40-point triple-double.
Angel also criticized First Lady Jill Biden's idea to invite both the winning and losing teams to the White House. Calling it a "joke," she claimed that she refused to accept the White House invitation. However, the LSU basketball star recently confirmed that she will visit the 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. with her teammates.
