‘SNL’ Forces Mike Myers to Relive Kanye’s George Uncomfortable Bush Callout
“Me? I’m in the KKK now,” said Kenan Thompson’s Ye.
Saturday Night Live brought in some big guns for its 50th season finale, including veteran cast member Mike Myers, who popped up in a sketch as himself.
The sketch saw Myers riding in an elevator with none other than Kanye “Ye” West, played by Kenan Thompson, and served as an awkward reunion for the pair who both featured in an unforgettable moment 20 years ago. On Sept. 2, 2005, during a televised fundraiser for hurricane relief following Hurricane Katrina, West interrupted the broadcast to let America know that “George Bush doesn’t care about Black people.”
As West went off-script, clearly deeply affected by the footage coming out of a devastated New Orleans, Myers desperately tried to keep things on track. But the Austin Powers star was left speechless after West’s famous pronouncement.
To say times have changed since that day would be an understatement, with West seemingly spending the majority of his time tweeting racist thoughts or releasing songs titled “Heil Hitler.”
To that end, Myers, in the elevator alongside Thompson’s West, asks the latter what he’s been up to since the pair last spoke. West responds, “Oh, me? I’m in the KKK now.” He then asks after Myers’ children, to which Myers nervously responds, “My kids? My kids are safe.“
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Still in the elevator, West then brings up Diddy‘s trial before asking if Myers’ surname is of Jewish origin (Myers informs him that he’s Protestant).
Clearly depicting Myers’ worst nightmare, the elevator then breaks down, sending Myers into a panic and leading him to cry, “I’m claustrophobic!” Thompson’s West commiserated, replying, “I’m a few phobics myself.”
The pair finally part, but not before West promotes his new single—“Squeezin’ On My Grandpa’s Booty”—and bidding farewell to Myers with a simple, “Take care of yourself, Shrek!”
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