U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren helped open "Saturday Night Live," just days after ending her campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination by making a cameo appearance as herself.
She played a guest in the opening sketch, in which the host of Fox News' "The Ingraham Angle," Laura Ingraham, played by Kate McKinnon, complains that criticism of President Donald Trump's response to the coronavirus outbreak is misplaced.
"The left continues to wage its deceitful, dishonest and, frankly, gay smear campaign against President Trump," she says. "The left is trying to whip people into a fear frenzy of lies, which just isn’t right: That’s our thing."
Friend of Trump and fellow Fox News host Jeanine Pirro, played by Cecily Strong, backs up Ingraham and adds, "Americans are not at risk, especially not our viewers, who skew elderly, are in bad health, live cloistered together in homes specifically for sick people, and have smoked their entire lives."
The president's adult sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, (Mikey Day and Alex Moffat, respectively) come on-air to offer their reassurances.
"The fact of the matter is Americans are perfectly safe," Trump Jr. says. "It’s like our father says ... "
Eric Trump jumps in: "The N-word?"
Soon, Warren appears for an interview with Ingraham, who asks how she's been since dropping out of the race for the White House.
"I'm doing just fine," Warren says. "My friends and family have been so supportive. They've been calling non-stop asking are you OK, what do you need, were you electable?'"
Asked who she'll endorse in the battle to become the Democratic nominee, former Vice President Joe Biden or Sen. Bernie Sanders, Warren says, "It's tough. Maybe I’ll just pull a New York Times and endorse them both."
McKinnon, instantly dressed in the same blue blazer, her hair styled like Warren's, joined the senator to officially open the show with its catchphrase, "Live from New York, it's Saturday Night!"
It dove into the nation's coronavirus fears, imagining how a soap opera, "The Sands of Modesto," might go in the age of a person-to-person epidemic.
Ex-lovers played by McKinnon and the night's host, Daniel Craig, rekindle their flame, but when it comes time for intimacy, the camera focuses on an extended mannequin arm that brushes her hair.
"Kiss me now," McKinnon's character says.
Craig approaches, places a plate of glass between them, and kisses it.
"Take me," she says. "Take me please."
He rolls a wide sheet of plastic over her.
A subsequent sketch saw the return of Debbie Downer, reprised by SNL alum Rachel Dratch, whose dark wisdom at a wedding celebration is punctuated by the trademark "womp-womp" sound of a horn.
"You can display no symptoms and still be wildly contagious," she says. "They say to forego masks, but good luck nabbing one when we’re facing a worldwide pandemic."
In perhaps her most mood-draining moment, Downer asks guests at a table, "Speaking of voting, how do you guys feel about Trump?"
Satirical news segment "Weekend Update" had a sobering look at the pared-down Democratic presidential race between 77-year-old Biden and 78-year-old Sanders,
"It’s become like my dad’s favorite radio station," co-host Colin Jost says. "Just the oldies."
The possibility of debates between Biden and Trump excite him, however, he said.
"They're going to be the first debates that have to be moderated by a Jamaican nurse," Jost says. "Whichever one of them can beat coronavirus becomes our next president."
Jost criticized the president's leadership on the epidemic, however, concluding, "We're all going to die."
Fellow host Michael Che agrees: "We both going to catch it. We had a good run. I mean, we accomplished a lot. Could you believe we both almost got to marry Scarlett Johansson?"
