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Axios
Axios
Politics
Axios

"SNL" skewers 2020 Democrats' CNN town hall in cold open

Kate McKinnon as Elizabeth Warren on "Saturday Night Live." Photo: Will Heath/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images

"Saturday Night Live" skewered 2020 Democratic candidates' CNN town hall on LGBTQ issues in a star-studded cold open, with Kate McKinnon sending up Sen. Elizabeth Warren's comments during the debate on same-sex marriage that went viral.

The big picture: Emmy Award-winning actor Billy Porter put in a stylish star turn as the announcer, introducing Sen. Cory Booker, played by "SNL" regular Chris Redd by saying, "He may live in the projects, but ladies, he ain’t no project. It’s Cory Booker."

  • "Hamilton" creator and star Lin-Manuel Miranda also had a scene-stealing moment as former HUD Secretary Julián Castro, apologizing for nor not being gay. "Look, I’m young, I’m diverse," he said. "I’m Latino Obama."
  • Hollywood heavyweight Woody Harrelson returned as former Vice President Joe Biden, delivering the line, "The vast majority of people in America are not homophobic; they’re just scared of gay people."

Flashback: While the real Warren did not have a wig to pull off as McKinnon's character did, she won plenty of cheers at the town hall and praise from the LGBTQ community and rights advocates for her response to a question about religious opposition to same-sex marriage.

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