A coalition of Hispanic advocacy groups is “flabbergasted” that NBC has allowed Donald Trump to host “Saturday Night Live” after severing ties with the GOP presidential candidate in June.
The National Hispanic Leadership Agenda (NHLA) sent a strongly-worded letter to the network calling for SNL to rescind the invitation, the Associated Press reported Friday.
“We are appalled that you would enable Trump’s hateful speech for nothing (more) than a ratings ploy and ask that you rescind the SNL invitation,” the group wrote in the letter, which was sent to NBC Universal CEO Stephen Burke and “SNL” executive producer Lorne Michaels.
The group said it applauded the network’s decision to end its business relationship with Trump after he dismissed Mexican immigrants as “rapists” and criminals during his presidential announcement speech.
At the time, NBC released a letter denouncing Trump’s “derogatory” statements and insisting that “respect and dignity for all people” are essential to the network’s values.
The split has not been so clear cut, however. Though the network announced it would no longer air Miss USA and Miss Universe beauty pageants, which Trump co-owned with NBC Universal, NBC later sold its share in the pageants to the presidential candidate.
According to the NHLA, the “SNL” invitation is further evidence that the network is walking balk its condemnation of Trump in a “slap in the face” to Latino viewers.
Felix Sanchez, a co-founder National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts and signee of the letter, wrote in a CNN op-ed that the gig offered Trump “a comedy satire platform that would de facto laugh away his bigoted comments.”
NHLA, which is composed of 40 civil rights and public policy groups, told the AP it may take further action by staging protests on Nov. 7, the night Trump is scheduled to host, or calling for boycotts of the show or network. It has encouraged “SNL” cast members to stage personal boycotts as well.
