The most recent episode of Saturday Night Live took on the latest suspected threat to national security: a Chinese balloon. Last week, the Biden administration believed the Chinese government was using the balloon for surveillance, and the balloon quickly became an internet celebrity as people tracked its travels across U.S. airspace. After Secretary of State Antony Blinken postponed a trip to Beijing due to rising tensions between the two nations, the U.S. military shot down the balloon off the coast of South Carolina.
The sketch opened with MSNBC host Katy Tur detailing the criticism from Republicans who said President Biden should have authorized the balloon’s demise sooner. Pentagon official Kenan Thompson then described the shooting while using a happy birthday balloon as a prop. The sketch ended with an exclusive interview with the downed balloon, portrayed by Bowen Yang. Yang quipped that Americans would miss his presence in the sky, and said, “You’ve made it very clear that I’m not welcome here, so good job. But let me tell you something: you’re gonna miss this Chinese spy balloon—I mean, normal balloon, damn it.”
The Chinese balloon has become an unlikely celebrity in the midst of rising tensions between the U.S. and China. SNL’s spoof of the balloon’s shooting shines a light on the political controversy surrounding the incident, while still managing to make us laugh.
Source: www.npr.org