When Dr. Anthony Fauci jokingly told reporters he’d like to be played by Brad Pitt on Saturday Night Live, do you think he expected his wish to come true? Well, that’s exactly what happened.
On April 10, CNN anchor Alisyn Camerota asked Fauci if he’d prefer being played by Ben Stiller or Pitt on the now-remote sketch show. “Oh Brad Pitt,” he said at the time. “Of course.”
Well, last night’s SNL at Home kicked off with a cold open starring the Oscar-winning actor portraying Fauci, perhaps the most prominent member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force.
“First I’d like to thank all the older women in America who have sent me supportive, inspiring, and sometimes graphic emails,” Pitt—donning a suit, grey wig, and wire glasses—began his “address.” The rest of the sketch was dedicated to translating what President Donald Trump really means when he speaks about the coronavirus. For example, when he said “everyone can get a test.”
“What he meant was: almost no one,” Pitt’s Fauci clarified in a very heavy Brooklyn accent, before responding to further incorrect comments by the president. “So yeah, I’m getting fired,” he says later in the sketch. “But until then, I’m gonna be there putting out the facts for whoever’s listening, and when I hear things like the virus can be cured if everyone takes the Tide Pod Challenge, I’ll be there to say, ‘Please don’t.'” Really. Please don’t.
In a very welcome move, Pitt chose to end his skit by removing his costume (just the wig and glasses, relax) and thanking Dr. Fauci and healthcare workers personally. “To the real Dr. Fauci, thank you for your calm and your clarity in this unnerving time,” Pitt said. “And thank you to the medical workers, first responders, and their families for being on the front line. And now, live…kinda…from all across America, it’s Saturday night.”
It would be an understatement to say that the skit was well-received online. “Brad Pitt playing Fauci on #SNL is only going to make him more of a sex symbol,” one user tweeted. “(Fauci, I mean. But it works both ways.)” Remember, Pitt was named People’s Sexiest Man Alive twice.
Here are some more reactions to the sketch:
Honestly, the only thing that could have made the sketch better would have been if Pitt wore a Fauci nametag…
