'SNL' mocks Joe Biden in Halloween-themed opening sketch: 'My closest friends are ghosts'
"Saturday Night Live" used its opening sketch to poke fun at President Joe Biden's age in the spirit of Halloween.
Mikey Day portrayed a struggling Biden in the cold open as he hung up bat decorations in the Oval Office. In a bizarre twist, he was surprised with appearances by "Papa Pumpkin" Christopher Walken and newly minted Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (Michael Longfellow).
Day's Biden huffed throughout the skit. "I’m not out of breath. I’m just excited because Halloween is the greatest holiday in the world," he said.
“Here’s the bottom line. The world is a pretty scary place right now. Wars, shootings, climate change, everything in the new Britney book," he said as he climbed a shaky ladder. "I want to put everyone at ease. Nothing puts anyone at ease like an 80-year-old man hanging Halloween decorations."
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The age-related jokes continued throughout the skit, with Biden recalling a ladder being "cutting-edge technology" in his youth. "This was like an iPad."
"I love Halloween. In fact, a lot of my closest friends are ghosts," he added, saying he fights the Grim Reaper "every single day."
Walken's presence was welcome as people gear up for Halloween.
"They call me Papa Pumpkin," the "Sleepy Hallow" star said before switching up a classic children's rhyme: "Trick or treat, smell my feet. / Give me something good to eat. / If you don’t, I don’t care. / I’ll pull down your underwear."
Despite all the age-cracking, the 80-year-old actor brought most of the laughs to the skit.
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Other Halloween sketches included a Hallmark Channel spoof of an axe murderer reuniting with his high school sweetheart and a Fran Drescher trick-or-treat skit of costumes approved by SAG-AFTRA amid the ongoing actor's strike.
Saturday's show was hosted by comedian Nate Bargatze with Foo Fighters as the musical guest.
