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.
[embedded content]
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’sSexiest 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…
Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor‘s royal christening on Saturday (July 6) was notably intimate compared to those of his royal cousins. New details about the official portraits released from the event suggest that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle handpicked two special guests to pay tribute to Harry’s mother, the late Princess Diana, at the private ceremony.
Princess Diana’s sisters, Lady Jane Fellowes and Lady Sarah McCorquodale, were among the tightly edited group of 25 invited to attend Baby Archie’s christening today. They also appeared in the formal group portrait released this afternoon, pictured between Doria Ragland, Meghan Markle’s mother, and Prince William.
The sisters’ appearance is a symbolic gesture to Princess Diana’s role in Archie’s upbringing. Her sisters don’t make appearances as frequently as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, but they’ve nonetheless stepped in to fill Princess Diana’s role in absentia. Early reports said that Lady Jane Fellowes and Lady Sarah McCorquodale were among the first people to learn of Archie’s birth. It’s fitting that they’re present for a major milestone in the young royal’s life.
Including Princess Diana’s sisters in the christening ceremony is just the latest way that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have acknowledged the late royal in their public lives. On Mother’s Day this year, the Sussexes shared a photo of Baby Archie with Princess Diana’s favorite flower, the forget-me-not. “Paying tribute to all mothers today—past, present, mothers-to-be, and those lost but forever remembered. We honor and celebrate each and every one of you,” they wrote.
Prince Harry has opened up about remembering his mother in recent months. In May, he spoke with veteran Dennis van der Stroon about his loss. “He said missing a mother is like missing some kind of security, how you need that as a son and it falls away when you lose your mother,” van der Stroon said of Harry. “He said he meets a lot of people in his work who have lost a mother, father, sister, brother, or relatives, and when he hears their story, as he heard my story, he said he doesn’t feel so alone.”
Halie LeSavage is a contributing writer at Glamour. Follow her @halielesavage.
[unable to retrieve full-text content]We round up 30 fresh date-night outfit ideas (courtesy of our favorite street-style stars) that turn up the heat, no matter what your plans are.
I played field hockey throughout high school and was ecstatic to earn a spot on my Division One team in college. That spot turned out to be on the bench—I saw a full one minute and eighteen seconds on the field my entire time there—but I learned some invaluable lessons. The first and most important was never to fart if I was wearing one of those huge team parkas on colder game days. The parkas were so thick and absorbent that a fart would remain forever in its fibers. The second, not quite as important, but close, was that new team members must pay their dues. I’m a huge fan of newcomers paying dues. When you’re the most recent addition to a team or a job or a wedding you weren’t technically invited to, it’s so crucial to be quiet and listen. I don’t think people do that enough these days, and it bothers me. Obviously, I don’t mean that newbies should be doormats—but if you’re not fully informed or acclimated, take a minute to observe and learn.
When I joined the cast of The Office in 2009, I was the newcomer. As such, I was quiet, obedient, and I tried really hard not to fart. (Only two of those things felt easy to pull off, by the way.) This cast and crew had already created five seasons of a hit sitcom together, so they knew what they were doing. I was quite aware that I had won the lottery by landing a job on this show; my primary goal was, appropriately, not to derail the train.
I have a tendency to confuse speaking up with being rude, but the two actions are completely different.
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt was a new situation for me, because I was the lead. While the actual stars of the show are its creators, Robert Carlock and Tina Fey, I was playing the title character. I had gone from being number 18 on the call sheet to number one. (A call sheet is the piece of paper that gives all cast and crew their call times for that day’s work, and cast members are all assigned a number.) We filmed the pilot of Kimmy in March 2014, and I felt that I had earned this job. I had worked on a television show for four years and paid my dues. Still, owning this feeling of entitlement and confidence was, honestly, a pretty unfamiliar sensation for me.
I once read that if you put a smile on your face even if you feel depressed, you will actually feel better. Somehow that smile sends a signal to your brain that you are feeling good, so your brain then releases happy hormones or what have you, and voilà! Look, I’m not a scientist. I might have glossed over some of the details. But my point in bringing up this example is that sometimes, pretending to feel confident in a situation where you don’t actually feel confident can be just as effective.
And so, when we started work on Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, I told myself to be confident. If I didn’t understand a scene or feel comfortable with a certain line, I spoke to Robert or Tina. If I didn’t like the way my hair looked, I asked if we could do it differently. I learned that I could be assertive without being obnoxious. I have a tendency to confuse speaking up with being rude, but the two actions are completely different. It’s not bad manners to make your voice heard. It’s essential.
Ellie Kemper with Jon Hamm on the set of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Universal Television/Getty Images
At the end of Kimmy’s first season, we meet Reverend Richard, who was played by our national prince and hero Jon Hamm. I’ve mentioned this before, but Jon Hamm taught me theater in high school; he had attended our high school, and then returned to teach for a year after he graduated college. I tossed and turned the night before my scene with him. I was a wreck. There could not, in the world, be a nicer person than Jon Hamm. To me, though, he was and forever will be my teacher. Oh, he is also Don Draper. I felt intimidated. It makes sense to me that I was experiencing some, ah, anxiety.
So what happened? I showed up to work, I got a big hug from Hamm, and then I promptly flubbed my very first line. “I’m sorry,” I said, turning red and looking away. “I thought—I’m sorry.” Jon Hamm smiled. Jon Hamm didn’t mind. “I’m really nervous!” I blurted out. Jon Hamm said, “Well, you shouldn’t be.”
Jon Hamm was right. I didn’t need to be nervous! I had earned my spot. And with that, I made the decision to focus not on my nerves, but on my work. (I still flubbed some lines. He’s Don Draper, people!!! But I flubbed those lines very, very confidently.)
I will trust my instinct, I will listen to my gut, and I will be clear about what I want.
Now that the show is ending, I feel sad—but I’m so proud of the work we have done. The biggest compliment any of us receives about the show is when fans tell us it’s helped them through a difficult time. To be a part of something that helped someone is the very highest honor. Robert and Tina created a comedy that has a heart, something I feel is nearly impossible to do.
As I move forward to the next project, I’ll take a lot of lessons with me. The most important one will be to bet on myself. I will trust my instinct, I will listen to my gut, and I will be clear about what I want. After all, if I don’t bet on myself—who will? (Besides Jon Hamm, I mean. True prince.)
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s royal tour of Australia, Fiji, Tonga, and New Zealand continued Tuesday (October 30) with a stop in Auckland, New Zealand. The couple kicked things off with a walkabout, during which they greeted dozens of fans—including a full brass band, who started playing the Suits theme song upon their arrival. No, that’s not a joke or an exaggeration: A band seriously jammed out to Ima Robot’s “Greenback Boogie” as Markle and Prince Harry waved at passersby.
Markle didn’t react to the song, but the moment is iconic nonetheless. The duchess of Sussex hasn’t really discussed the popular USA TV show that made her a star. In September Markle reportedly said she hadn’t seen the latest season of Suits, but that’s the only soundbite she’s given on the subject since becoming a royal.
Watch the band greet Markle with a blast from her Suits past below:
In November 2017 Markle opened up about how she’s ready to close the chapter on Suits and start a new one with Prince Harry. “I don’t see it as giving anything up,” she said. “I just see it as a change. It’s a new chapter. I’ve been working on my show for seven years. We’re very, very fortunate to be able to have that sort of longevity on a series. For me, once we hit the 100-episode marker, I thought, I’ve ticked this box. I feel really proud of the work I’ve done there, and now it’s time to work as a team with [Prince Harry].”
If Markle is looking for something to watch on TV, though, the current season of Suits is pretty lit.
Sporty Stiletto Meghan Markle is at it again! While attending multiple events across Melbourne, Australia, with Prince Harry on Thursday (October 16), the Duchess of Sussex observed a group of young women playing Australian-rules football as part of the This Girl Can initiative, which encourages women to play sports. In a video captured by The Sun‘s royal correspondent Emily Andrews, Markle briefly got in on the action, bumping the ball back to a player after it was sent her way. Though the sporty moment was brief, it’s still incredibly impressive, especially because Markle didn’t falter once. That ground is uneven, people! This is definitely a feat.
Check out the video and photos for yourself, below:
And here’s a shot of Markle needing a little bit of help from her husband to make it across the uneven field. Been there!
PHOTO: Chris Jackson/Getty Images
The last time we saw Markle and Prince Harry getting sporty in her fancy footwear was just a few weeks ago at Britain’s Loughborough University, where they played a game of net ball. What did you do today!?
On Monday (October 15), Markle and Prince Harry confirmed they’re expecting their first child. “Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are very pleased to announce that The Duchess of Sussex is expecting a baby in the Spring of 2019,” Kensington Palace posted to both Twitter and Instagram that morning. “Their Royal Highnesses have appreciated all of the support they have received from people around the world since their wedding in May and are delighted to be able to share this happy news with the public.”
