Trump's 2015 SNL Hosting Gig Was A Behind-The-Scenes Disaster For The Cast & Crew

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NBC's "Saturday Night Live" doesn't shy away from mocking Donald Trump and his inner circle. The late-night sketch comedy show regularly lampooned the Republican president during his first term, and likely won't stop anytime soon. Before he was the butt of the joke, however, Trump took the stage at Studio 8H and delivered a monolgue, introducing his hosting duties for SNL's Season 41, Episode 4 in 2015. "This is gonna be something special," he said in his opening remarks. According to some cast and crew who have been outspoken about the night, it was quite the opposite. 

In November 2015, months after announcing his presidential candidacy, a group of protestors congregated outside 30 Rockefeller Plaza, just 48 hours before Trump joined the seasoned comedians in the studio, per the Los Angeles Times. Latino advocates were pictured outside the building, grasping signs that read "Dump Trump," a plea to SNL to drop the now-twice-elected president. Of course, any "SNL" fan knows it would be nearly impossible for the cast and crew to indoctrinate another host for Saturday's performance on short notice, so they kept Trump on. 

According to Taran Killam, an "SNL" alum, it was a regrettable decision. "It was rough," Killam, who portrayed the real estate mogul on the show before Alec Baldwin and token Trump impersonator James Austin Johnson, told NPR in 2017. "It was not enjoyable at the time and something that only grows more embarrassing and shameful, I think, as time goes on." The comedian, who went on to admit his disdain for the president, said Trump felt "out of touch" and not relatable whatsoever while working the week before the show. "He's not an enjoyable person to be around," said Killam.

Taran Killam hasn't been outspoken alone. Tim Robinson, known for irreverent comedy series like "I Think You Should Leave" and "Detroiters," was working as a writer at the time and has similar sentiments to Killam about the choice to spotlight Donald Trump. "Lorne has lost his f***ing mind and someone needs to shoot him in the back of the head," one person claimed Robinson said, as per written in the 2025 biography, "Lorne: The Man Who Invented Saturday Night Live" (via The Daily Beast). The book's author, Susan Morrison, recounted whispers through the staff that the show's creator Lorne Michaels was actually attempting to bolster Trump's popularity for his campaign, though it was just speculation and never confirmed.

Any aggravated cast or crew members received a sliver of justice during the show, when Larry David shocked the audience — and seemingly Trump — by yelling "Trump's a racist!" from offstage during the then-presidential candidate's monologue (via YouTube). His reasoning, as he puts it, was: "I heard if I yelled that they'd give me $5,000." Now, it seems like the comedy show has made it its mission to spark a Trump tantrum due to some choice sketches.