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Video: Brad Pitt Plays Dr. Fauci On SNL At Home
By
Jen Chung
Published Apr 26, 2020
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Saturday Night Live / YouTube
By
Jen Chung
Published Apr 26, 2020
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In an interview with CNN earlier this month, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, was asked who he might like to portray him on Saturday Night Live when the show returned. "Here are some suggestions," CNN's Alisyn Camerota offered to Dr. Fauci. "Ben Stiller or Brad Pitt—which one?"
"Oh, Brad Pitt, of course," Fauci answered, laughing.
It took two weeks, but on Saturday, it happened: The Oscar winner and repeat Sexiest Man Alive appeared as the venerated infectious disease expert for Saturday Night Live At Home's cold open. With a gravelly voice and gesticulations, Pitt-as-Fauci began by "thank[ing] all the older women in America who have sent me supportive, inspiring and sometimes graphic emails."
He also promised to clear up some "misinformation" and went through a series of clips of President Donald Trump. In one, where Trump claims vaccines are coming "relatively soon," the faux Fauci explained, "'Relatively soon' is an interesting phrase. Relative to the entire history of Earth? Sure, the vaccine is gonna come real fast. But if you were to tell a friend, ‘I’ll be over relatively soon,’ and then showed up a year and a half later, then your friend may be relatively pissed off."
Regarding Trump's claim that the coronavirus will disappear "like a miracle," Pitt said, "A miracle would be great. Who doesn't love miracles? But miracles shouldn’t be Plan A. Even Sully tried to land at the airport first."
Trump saying that the COVID-19 test is beautiful?
"I don't know if I would call it beautiful unless your idea of beauty was having a cotton swab tickle your brain," Pitt-as-Fauci quipped. "Also, when he said everyone can get a test, what he meant was almost no one."
At the end, Pitt took off his Fauci wig and directed his comments to the real NIAID director, saying, "Thank you for your calm and your clarity in this unnerving time...Thank you to the medical workers, first responders and their families for being on the front line."
In other news, Trump may be throwing in the towel on the daily coronavirus press briefings. In a Tweet, he claimed they are "not worth the time & effort" and complained about reporters, uh, asking questions. This comes days after a disastrous Thursday press briefing where the president dangerously suggested that ingesting disinfectant and exposure to sunlight could be used as treatments for coronavirus.
Tagged
COVID-19
coronavirus
saturday night live
snl
brad pitt
anthony fauci
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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