Green Bay Packers Quarterback Aaron Rodgers found himself laid out and sacked no less than two minutes into Saturday Night Live’s cold open this week. Cecily Strong, lampooning Fox News’ high-decibel talking head Jeanine Pirro, introduced the controversial NFL star, played by Pete Davidson, as “an American brave enough to say ‘screw you, science, I know Joe Rogan.”
Davidson suited up as a wool cap-donning, walrus-mustachioed Rodgers, wearing a “Say When?” T-shirt from the movie Tombstone. Channeling the celebrated quarterback, he asked Strong if she remembered when he hosted Jeopardy!, then bragged about his current career as a public health hazard despite criticism from “the woke mob.”
“It’s my body and my COVID. I could give it to whoever I want,” he said, parroting a phrase similar to the pro-choice movement’s “my body, my choice.” (“Never to be used for any other issues,” Strong interjected as Pirro.)
The bit continued, with Davidson as Rodgers saying he “never lied” about being vaccinated. “I took all my teammates into a huddle, got all their faces three inches away from my wet mouth, and told them ‘trust me, I’m more or less immunized.’”
While this sounds like an exaggeration, Rodgers, who is engaged to Shailene Woodley, actually claimed to be “immunized” from COVID-19 via homeopathic methods before he tested positive for the disease that has killed over 5 million people worldwide. While the vaccines, which are readily accessible in the United States unlike in other countries, do not guarantee total prevention of the illness, they have been proven to cut down on its transmutability and severity drastically.
As the sketch continued, Davidson as Rodgers boasted of his record of seven-and-one: “Meaning, of the eight people I’ve infected, seven are fine.”
Rodgers’ case is currently under review by the NFL, and he may face fines if found in violation of COVID protocols. He may also be cited by the league for attending an indoor Halloween party with other players while unvaccinated. He will not suit up for Sunday’s game (more time to watch the SNL clip over and over) due to a mandatory isolation period, but could be back on the gridiron for next week’s match against Seattle.
SNL’s cold open continued with Alex Moffat parodying Virginia Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin and James Austin Johnson taking on former television steak salesman Donald Trump.
Cheers to this guy on Twitter for calling the Davidson play a day in advance.
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