The co-hosts of “Fox & Friends” went out of their way on Monday morning to declare their distaste for a “Saturday Night Live” sketch mocking the Islamic State terror group’s recruitment of young westerners.
The sketch in question parodied a Super Bowl ad for Toyota. In the original ad, a young American member of the military said goodbye to her father at the airport.
In SNL’s version, actor Dakota Johnson, the star of “Fifty Shades of Grey,” played the role of a young woman saying goodbye to her father. The twist was that she was going off to join the Islamic State, a nod to the news stories cataloging young women leaving home to try their luck in Iraq and Syria.
“Wow,” Fox co-host Elizabeth Hasselbeck said after playing a clip. “‘Saturday Night Live’ attempted to be funny mocking one of the best Super Bowl commercials, that I think many people felt warmed everyone’s heart, with an attempt of comedy.”
The chat-show trio read tweets from Fox viewers who considered the parody offensive and disrespectful.
“Unfortunately, there’s been too many Americans, fathers and mothers who dropped off children at the airport only to have them return in a casket,” guest host Peter Johnson added.
By the end of the segment, Hasselbeck’s voice was trembling.
“We’ve seen too many people headed over to join forces whose intent is to kill those leaving to fight for freedom in the entire world,” she said.
“Is this funny?” Johnson eventually asked.
“I don’t think there’s anything funny about ISIS,” Hasselbeck answered.
“How insensitive can you get?” she added. “Right now? Mmm.”
Watch the SNL sketch:
To be fair, and really, our goal is always to be fair, Fox and Friends is hysterical and offensive as well. Since they’re not intentionally funny, though, we have to give them some slack. Actually, no.
I hope this puts to rest the sexist assumption that Elizabeth Hasselbeck was hired by Fox “News” solely for her ability to be blond on cue. Clearly she was also hired for her mastery of trembling outrage, an essential skill for today’s clownservative pundits.
Lordy, the fake comedy, news and outrage machine is working overtime. Are FOX and Comcast coordinating the plastic yin and cardboard yang?
So it’s Monday, and here’s the first of Faux’s faux outrage over something or other Ailes decided should be treated as an outrage by three of the deepest thinkers in the industry.
I betcha if the ISIS dude who said “Death to America” had looked like Obama, Fox News would be commenting on the “edginess” of SNL that was “commenting” on Obama’s “lack of resolve.”