NBC defended its decision to have Donald Trump return as host last year for an episode of Saturday Night Live, during the network’s first of two days at the Television Critics Association winter press tour in Pasadena, California.
The Republican presidential frontrunner and real estate magnate first hosted the late-night sketch series in April 2004, back when he was popular for hosting his now-defunct NBC reality series, The Apprentice. In June 2015, NBC said in a statement that it was severing ties with Trump following his “derogatory” comments about immigrants when he announced his presidential campaign. The network cut the Trump-produced Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants, and excluded him as host from The Celebrity Apprentice.
But on 7 November 2015, Trump returned as host on the late-night program, almost exactly a year before election day, which will fall on 8 November 2016.
“We got out of both of those businesses [Celebrity Apprentice and the pageants] … when most of us thought he would be waltzing into the background,” reasoned Robert Greenblatt, chairman of NBC Entertainment. “Lo and behold, he’s the frontrunner.
“The poll numbers are astounding,” he continued. “He’s everywhere, and that reconciles quite easily [with NBC’s decision]. Love it or not, he’s one of the most important political figures of our time. I don’t think the public was confused [by his hosting of SNL] as much as the press and some special-interest groups.”
Trump’s second Saturday Night Live appearance didn’t mark the first time NBC has gone against its word on the Republican candidate: Trump appeared on the 11 September 2015 episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, giving the comedy program its highest Friday ratings in 18 months, on top of segments of NBC News programming. His appearance on Saturday Night Live gave the show its biggest ratings in years.
“At the end of the day, he was on the show for 11 minutes,” Greenblatt said of Trump’s Saturday Night Live hosting duties. “The Earth didn’t fall out of its axis. It was a highly rated show, and that’s always a good thing.
“If we were in the business of never having anyone guest on the network who had views that disagree with our views,” he added, “we’d be out of business.”
