‘SNL’ Lands Exclusive Interview With the Chinese Spy Balloon
“Saturday Night Live” cast member Bowen Yang took on the role and made the most of it.

NBC
Saturday Night Live opened this week’s show with—what else?—the Chinese spy balloon that the Biden administration successfully shot down earlier in the day. But unlike the rest of the obsessive media coverage the story has received over the past few days, the show scored a big interview with the balloon itself.
“Well, you got me. Congrats, you shot a balloon,” Bowen Yang told Chloe Fineman’s Katy Tur, repurposing his iconic portrayal of the iceberg that took down the Titanic and applying it to the massive surveillance device.
“I entertain you people for four days, and then get shot by Biden. I can’t believe that I’m Joe’s Osama!” he declared.
The balloon went on to explain that he was only flying over Montana because he loves Yellowstone so much. “Everyone is being surveilled constantly, but it always ‘shoot the balloon’ and never unplug Alexa!” he added. “If you care so much about your data, why do you all keep your bank password in your notes app?”
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Later, he asked, “Is everyone freaking out because I’m a Chinese balloon? Because where I come from, I’m just a balloon.” As the MSNBC host said goodbye, he added, “You’re going to miss this Chinese spy balloon—I mean, normal balloon. But whatever, we already have your data.”
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