WATCH: SNL’s Spot-on #OscarsSoWhite Spoof

By Sameer Rao Jan 25, 2016

For a show that historically struggles to meaningfully address its own internal racism, "Saturday Night Live" did a solid job of sending up the #OscarsSoWhite controversy. 

In a hilarious sketch that aired on the show this Saturday (January 23), "SNL" cast members held a fake "Screen Guild Awards" ceremony where all the Best Actor nominees were White men. The catch? All of the movies focused on Black characters, with some of them addressing hardships (such as redlining) and figures (including Thurgood Marshall) that are specifically relevant to Black communities. All of the Black performers sitting alongside their White male nominee counterparts showed disdain and annoyance at the ceremony’s standards.

It’s a funny poke at the Academy’s issues, but a poignant one. Obvious parodies of "Creed" and "Beasts of No Nation" highlighted the current ceremony’s omission of acclaimed Black performers like Michael B. Jordan and Idris Elba. 

Check out the sketch above, and ask yourself: Does a show that willingly let Donald Trump host understand its own hypocrisy?