Speculation abounded on social media Tuesday about whether Long Island-native Rosie O’Donnell would join the cast of Saturday Night Live to portray Steve Bannon, President Donald Trump’s assistant and chief strategist.
Word of O’Donnell potentially teaming up with SNL’s Alec Baldwin, another LI native, who’s been killing it with his parody of Trump, and Melissa McCarthy, who recently slayed as White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer, began Monday when she responded to a tweet expressing she’d be “honored” to play Bannon—formerly the executive chair of alt-right news mouthpiece Breitbart News.
“They know where to find me,” she tweeted.
– HONORED – they know where 2 find me ❤️
— ROSIE (@Rosie) February 7, 2017
On Tuesday, she clarified that such a cameo is still very much “just a funny idea.”
– no – that's an alternate fact – someone tweeted it as an idea – after Melissa was so brilliant … just a funny idea #truth
— ROSIE (@Rosie) February 7, 2017
A longtime critic—and target—of the billionaire reality TV star-turned-president, O’Donnell would no doubt bring some genuine vitriol to her impersonation of the Trump confidante, should she be given the chance. Trump’s repeated derogatory references to the actress, lesbian rights activist and celebrity blogger during his campaign highlighted for many detractors what critics have characterized as his offensive misogyny. O’Donnell told People Magazine that her repeated attacks from Trump–in response to her assertion on The View in 2006 that “The Donald” had claimed bankruptcy—were “the most bullying I ever experienced in my life, including as a child. It was national, and it was sanctioned societally.”
Trump’s verbal attacks on O’Donnell went global during his run for the White House, with this response to a question regarding his description of women as “fat pigs,” “slobs” and “dogs” from moderator Megyn Kelly at the first Republican primary debate:
“Only Rosie O’Donnell.”
If President Trump’s prior Twitter reaction to Baldwin following one of his SNL skits is any indication of how the commander-in-chief of the free world would likely respond to O’Donnell’s impersonation of his close personal advisor, we may soon be reading 140-character tirades lambasting O’Donnell.
Just tried watching Saturday Night Live – unwatchable! Totally biased, not funny and the Baldwin impersonation just can't get any worse. Sad
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 4, 2016
Team Trump was reportedly less than thrilled with McCarthy’s recent lampooning of Spicer, too—apparently since, you know, she’s a woman. The parody featured the former Republican National Committee spokesman gum-chewing, parading out another LI native, Kate McKinnon, as controversial new billionaire Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, screaming at the White House press pool, and “apologizing on behalf of you, to me.” It was a huge hit.
Regardless of whether she’d get under the president’s notoriously thin skin, O’Donnell would have big shoes to fill if she tackled Bannon, because so far on SNL the right-wing white supremacist billionaire has been portrayed as the Grim Reaper.
