MEAWW.COM / ENTERTAINMENT / TV

'Saturday Night Live': Issa Rae's character says 'Kanye? F him', Internet replies 'that's a statement America'

The sketch features Kenan Thompson as the ‘Your Voice Chicago’ talk show host who is talking to Rae’s Jamele Demmings and a journalist played by Ego Nwodim

On the latest episode of ‘Saturday Night Live’ on October 17, guest host Issa Rae played a lawyer who swore to vote for “everybody Black” come election day in the sketch. But just before the sketch ended Rae’s character said, “Kanye? ‘F’ him.”

This became a talking point on the Internet. One user said, “Whatever @IssaRae said on #SNL about @kanyewest ..yes!!!” Another said, “The rooting for everybody Black skit was good. And the F Kanye part was necessary. @IssaRae #SNL.”  One commented, “Issa Rae just said "Eff Kanye" in the Chicago morning show skit. That's a statement America.” Another stated, “Sometimes I love how an entire sketch might have been written to lead up to a final line. Kanye? F him!” A user opined, “KANYE F HIM” Issa Rae for the win!”

The sketch features Kenan Thompson as the ‘Your Voice Chicago’ talk show host who is talking to Rae’s character Jamele Demmings and a journalist played by Ego Nwodim. Both of them were presented with a list of candidates and their opponents. She explained, “For too long our people’s voices have not been heard. It’s our duty to stand together and take our power back.” At one point she reasoned that a young Black woman running for local office without an experience is “exactly why we need her. … New voices, it’s the only way change will happen.” When she was told that a billionaire was also in the race, Rae’s Demmings first said, “How can someone who’s so rich know anything about us? Money corrupts the whole system.” But when she was informed that the Black candidate was the billionaire, she changed her statement and said, “I find that so inspiring. We need more entrepreneurs like that in our community.”

After a point, it was clear that the Black candidates were a bit hard to back, but Rae’s Demmings found interesting ways to do so. Chris Redd played a candidate who was caught for tax fraud, she said,  “He knows the system and all the loopholes.” Then, Punkie Johnson and Maya Rudolph portrayed a conservative duo who were illegally running on the same ticket and also live streamed about how “the mask is death.” Rae’s Demmings took a second and reasoned that “We need more passion in politics. We want someone who’s been out there working in the real world.” When Thompson pointed out that the women were unemployed, she said, that’s why “we need to give them jobs … lift them up.”

This was Rae’s first as a host on ‘Saturday Night Live’. She compared the first year of her HBO show ‘Insecure’ to being in freshman year of high school wherein she was still figuring out where would she fit in and who would be in her close circle. “Hosting SNL is like my prom and you guys are all my dates. I’m ready to go all the way y’all.” The musical guest of the show was Justin Bieber.

‘Saturday Night Live’ airs on NBC at 11.30 pm ET.