‘SNL': Donald Trump Nominates Walter White for DEA Head (Video)
Bryan Cranston makes surprise appearance on ‘SNL’ to “Make America Cook Again”
Jeremy Fuster | December 10, 2016 @ 9:12 PM
Last Updated: December 11, 2016 @ 5:30 AM
On this week’s “Saturday Night Live” cold open, Beck Bennett’s Jake Tapper came on to interview president-elect Donald Trump’s latest and most interesting cabinet pick: new DEA boss Walter White, played by none other than Bryan Cranston.
According to the “Breaking Bad” antihero and chemistry teacher-turned-meth dealer, White was strongly vetted by Steve Bannon, who found him “in a Breitbart comment section.”
Though White has never met Trump, he says he’s a big fan of Trump’s policies, particularly his plan to build a wall that will keep the Mexicans out, “which means less competition for the rest of us.”
When asked by Tapper if he’s concerned that the Senate might not approve him for the job, White admitted that they might be concerned he faked his own death. “I’m only the third person in the Trump cabinet to do that,” he said.
But he assured the American people that he and Trump were going to “Make America Cook Again” and fill America with “red, white and a whole lot of blue.”
Of course, Trump critics might see Walter White as a satirical extension of cabinet choices that have already raised eyebrows, like a climate change denier appointed to head the Environmental Protection Agency and an opponent of minimum wage raises to lead the Department of Labor.
Cranston and Bennett were joined in the sketch by Kate McKinnon, who played Trump’s spokesperson Kellyanne Conway. You can watch Tapper and Conway in the SNL sketch “Kellyanne’s Day Off” from earlier this season here.
“SNL” was hosted this week by John Cena with Maren Morris as musical guest. “Manchester By The Sea” star Casey Affleck will host next week with Chance The Rapper performing.
'SNL' 5-Timers Club: Most Frequent Hosts, From Alec Baldwin to Will Ferrell (Photos)
In the world of sketch comedy, there is no fraternity more prestigious than the "Saturday Night Live Five-Timers Club." Those who have proven their worthiness by hosting "SNL" five times are invited into an elite circle, where they don luxurious satin robes, smoke expensive cigars and, for their entertainment, watch current cast members fight to the death.
Not counting his many guest appearances to play guys like Donald Trump, Baldwin has hosted 16 times, passing Steve Martin's record in 2011. Martin was there that night to demand a surprise drug test.
The esteemed president of the Five-Timers Club was also the fastest to get to that milestone, hosting his fifth less than two years after hosting his first. In total, Martin has hosted fifteen times, most recently in 2009.
Hanks' fifth go-around as host in 1990 was what spawned the Five-Timers Club sketch. But now his most famous contribution to the series is definitely David S. Pumpkins. In April 2020, he also hosted remotely during the first "at home" edition during the coronavirus pandemic shutdown.
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Buck Henry - 10
From 1976 to 1980, it was tradition for the "Heaven Can Wait" director to host the "SNL" season finale. In total, Henry hosted 10 episodes, including a Mardi Gras special.
The original anchor of "Weekend Update" hosted "SNL" eight times after being the first original cast member to leave in the middle of the show's second season.
Though we haven't seen her in a Five-Timers' robe, her portrait is in the club's luxurious quarters. She holds the record for youngest host ever, having appeared on the show at age 7 following the release of "E.T." in 1982.
Gould hosted the show five times in the '70s, but his sixth appearance was his last after being blindsided by the sudden departure of Lorne Michaels from the show in 1980.
Arguably the most famous "SNL" cast member among millennials, Tina Fey joined the Club in 2015 after a hosting career that included (and still includes) her famous Sarah Palin impression.
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Scarlett Johansson - 6
The actress made her fifth appearance in 2016, and kicked off her monologue by putting on a Five-Timers jacket handed to her by Kenan Thompson. (She hosted again with then-fiancé Colin Jost in December 2019.)
The pop star's fifth appearance in 2013 saw "SNL" bring back the "Five-Timers" sketch, as Timberlake's induction was celebrated with a brawl between cast members Bobby Moynihan and Taran Killam.
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Melissa McCarthy - 5
After a season of guest appearances as Donald Trump's White House Press Secretary, Sean Spicer, McCarthy grabbed her Five-Timers jacket in Season 42.
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The Rock - 5
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson hosted the finale of the 42nd season of "SNL"
Jonah Hill - 5
Hill's five appearances as host spanned a decade, with the first coming in 2008 and the fifth on Nov. 3, 2018.
Will Ferrell - 5
One of the most successful "SNL" alums of the '90s, Ferrell joined the club on Nov. 23, 2019. Among his most famous "SNL" bits were his George W. Bush impression and his recurring role as Alex Trebek on "Celebrity Jeopardy."
Paul Simon - 4
Technically, Simon only hosted four times, but he's been included in "Five-Timers Club" sketches since he was the musical guest on a fifth show. He also owns arguably the most emotional moment in the history of "SNL": his performance of "The Boxer" in the cold open of the first post-9/11 episode.
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TheWrap looks back at those who’ve joined the most elite club in sketch comedy
In the world of sketch comedy, there is no fraternity more prestigious than the "Saturday Night Live Five-Timers Club." Those who have proven their worthiness by hosting "SNL" five times are invited into an elite circle, where they don luxurious satin robes, smoke expensive cigars and, for their entertainment, watch current cast members fight to the death.