While it did not appear on any ballots on Election Day, one of the biggest losers of the 2024 election cycle was “Saturday Night Live.”
NBC’s long-running sketch comedy show has long been at the center of the cultural zeitgeist, satirizing the news of the day and poking fun at the most powerful politicians while also serving as a launching pad for prominent comedians’ careers. But its viewership has taken a hit this year, especially compared to the 2016 and 2020 elections.
Saturday’s post-election installment of “SNL” averaged just 4.4 million total viewers, losing more than half of the 9.2 million viewers it’s post-election show received in 2020, according to data from Nielsen Research. It marked the least-watched episode so far this season.
In the weeks leading up to the 2024 election, “SNL” averaged 5.4 million viewers, losing 25% of its audience leading up to the 2020 election and nearly a third of its audience from 2016.
The Peacock network heavily relied on stunt casting this election cycle with “SNL” alums Maya Rudolph and Dana Carvey playing Vice President Kamala Harris and President Biden respectively, comedian Jim Gaffigan playing Harris’ running mate Tim Walz and “SNL” alum Andy Samberg playing Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff.
Regular cast members James Austin Johnson and Bowen Yang played President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance, respectively.
Popular comedian Shane Gillis reportedly turned down an offer by “SNL” executive producer Lorne Michaels to play Trump this season after he sported his Trump impersonation when he hosted the show earlier this year. Gillis was famously hired, then fired by “SNL” in 2019 as a featured cast member after progressive critics seized on old jokes.
