Saturday Night Live (SNL) faced sharp criticism after its recent episode featured a skit that mocked Barron Trump’s height. Cast member James Austin Johnson, portraying former U.S. President Donald Trump, compared the 6-foot-9 NYU student to Gandalf, a character from “The Lord of the Rings,” during the show’s first episode after the GOP leader’s grand oath ceremony earlier this week.
The joke, which many Trump supporters found tasteless, came as part of a comedic segment involving guest star Lin-Manuel Miranda and other cast members singing a Hamilton-inspired song about America.
The Controversial Skit
During the skit, Johnson declared he was “in his king-era” and referred to Barron as his “new favorite son.”
“But I’m back in the White House just in time,” Johnson joked. “Everything is back to how it was, except my new favorite son is Barron, and he’s smacking his head on every door frame – oh, it’s bad. It’s like when Gandalf goes to Bilbo’s house,” he said, alluding to the iconic scene in The Hobbit.
The skit comes just months after Barron Trump returned to the public eye on his eighteenth birthday, making the jokes about him particularly sensitive to some viewers.
Public Reactions and Backlash
The SNL segment quickly drew criticism from Trump supporters and general audiences alike. Many labeled the comparison cruel and inappropriate, especially given Barron’s young age and minimal presence in the public sphere.
On social media platform X, one Trump supporter wrote, “Barron will be the first King of the Americas,” while another commented, “Horrid impersonation and the jokes, eh not funny.”
Others criticized the skit’s overall execution, calling it unoriginal and poorly written. “Why is the Trump impression so incredibly painfully unfunny while trying desperately to be funny?” one user asked.
A History of Controversial Jokes About Barron
This isn’t the first time Barron Trump has been the target of controversial remarks. In 2017, during Donald Trump’s first inauguration, a former SNL writer faced backlash for a tweet referring to Barron inappropriately. Critics have repeatedly argued that the children of public figures, especially minors, should be off-limits in political and comedic commentary.
Calls for Change
Amid the backlash, viewers called for SNL to improve its comedic content, with one user remarking, “You guys really need not progressive comedy writers and a better Trump impersonator.” The incident has reignited conversations about whether political satire crosses the line when it targets the families of public figures.