Chinese balloons were featured in the most recent episode of “Saturday Night Live” on February 4.
Larry Mayer/AP
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Larry Mayer/AP
“Saturday Night Live” kicked off the show last night by faking the latest suspected threat to national security: a Chinese balloon.
The balloon, which the Biden administration believes the Chinese government is using for surveillance, has gone viral online as people start tracking its journey across US airspace. China’s Foreign Ministry said the balloon was used for meteorological research and accidentally drifted. But its presence made Secretary of State Antony Blinken Beijing trip postpone amid rising tensions between the two countries.
The US military shot down a hot air balloon off the coast of South Carolina on Saturday – a move that the Chinese government called overreaction. A few hours later, the dropped balloon became the subject of a cold opening by SNL.
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The sketch begins with Chloe Fineman playing MSNBC host Katy Tur and details criticism from Republicans who say President Biden should have allowed the hot air ballooning. demand sooner.
A Pentagon official, played by Kenan Thompson, tried to keep a serious face as he recounted the shooting while using a happy birthday balloon as a prop. The sketch ends with an exclusive interview with the downed balloon, portrayed by Bowen Yang.
Yang, who previously described Titanic ship icebergquipped that the Americans would miss his presence in the sky.
“You’ve made it very clear that I’m not welcome here, well done,” Yang said. “But let me tell you one thing: you’re going to miss this China spy balloon – I mean, normal balloon, damn it.”
