The Saturday Night Live cold open featured a Fox & Friends segment where the hosts of the Fox News morning show get Rupert Murdoch, chairman of Fox Corp. who’s currently in a legal battle, and Alex Murdaugh, a man convicted of murdering his wife and son, mixed up.
“You may have heard that Fox News is currently facing a $1.6 billion dollar lawsuit from Dominion Voting System,” Mikey Day’s Steve Doocy said, opening the March 4 episode. A complaint was filed against Fox Corp. and Murdoch on Friday over allegations that the network chief gave confidential information to former president Donald Trump’s campaign in 2020.
“I’m surprised because I’m such a fan of dominions. The little yellow guys with the overalls,” Bowen Yang’s Brian Kilmeade responded. Day’s Doocy clarified that he’s not talking about minions, the babbling species from Despicable Me, but the Dominion voting machines lawsuit: “Our boss, Rupert Murdoch gave some pretty shocking testimony in the case.”
Heidi Gardner’s Ainsley Earhard cuts into the conversation, complaining that “this whole trial has been so unfair. They are raking him over the coals. Rupert Murdoch would never murder anyone. They sent him away for life.” A photo of Murdaugh, a former prominent South Carolina attorney whose murder case captivated the nation, then appeared on the screen.
Day’s Doocy explained that the photo was the man sentenced to life in prison on Friday after being convicted of killing his wife and their youngest son, not the chairman of Fox Corp. “Well, we just blew the case wide open. They got the wrong guy,” Gardner’s Earhard said.
The hosts then went on to mention why Fox News isn’t covering the lawsuit much on its shows. “Anyway, Rupert Murdoch admitted that Fox News aired election fraud conspiracies to get ratings, even though everyone at Fox knew they were false,” Day’s Doocy continued. “Uh oh, I didn’t. Loop a brother in next time,” Yang’s Kilmeade responded, looking confused.
Travis Kelce, whose Kansas City Chiefs triumphed at Super Bowl LVII in Februrary, made his hosting debut Saturday night, with musical guest Kelsea Ballerini.
