The third presidential candidate of this year’s election appeared on the most recent episode of Saturday Night Live. Senator Bernie Sanders, riding the wave of his triumphant Iowa caucus, showed up to the set in New York to participate in a sketch with host Larry David. In addition to his performance alongside David, Sanders was also the subject of a skit starring the Curb Your Enthusiasm creator - fitting, considering the tone of the pre-taped video.
‘Bern Your Enthusiasm’ was the first sketch to “feature” the presidential hopeful. Though rumors of Sanders’ appearance had been confirmed prior to the episode’s broadcast, the 75-year-old senator was nowhere to be found in the show’s cold open or David’s monologue. Finally, ‘Bern Your Enthusiasm’ aired, but it didn’t star the real Bernie Sanders. That turned out being fine, however, as David starred in one of the best SNL sketches in years. The version of Sanders he plays loses the Iowa caucus by 0.2 percent due to the most Curb Your Enthusiasm reasons possible. Check it out below:
Finally, actual Bernie Sanders appeared in a skit called ‘Steam Ship.’ Spoofing the fateful Titanic sinking of 1912, Sanders convinces David to work together and use democratic socialism after David complains about the “woman and children first” lifeboat method. It was a coy way for Sanders to spread his political message while injecting a few jokes for good measure. He starred as “Bernie Sanderswitzky,” who plans on changing his name once he arrives in America so it doesn’t “sound so Jewish.”
That was it for Bernie on the sketch front, but the senator did return once again to introduce SNL’s musical guest, The 1975, as well as come back to the stage for the final cast appearances. The presidential candidate was all smiles as he soaked it all in.
