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Alec Baldwin has returned to Saturday Night Live for the first time since 2021 after manslaughter charges were dropped against him following the fatal Rust shooting.
Charges against the actor were dropped by a judge in New Mexico in July after it was found that the state had withheld evidence that could have shed light on how live rounds got onto the set of the movie, where cinematographer cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed.
Baldwin returned to the show on this Saturday’s episode (19 October) but didn’t portray Donald Trump, having played the former president from 2016 until 2021. Trump is now played by cast member James Austin Johnson.
Baldwin was instead given the role of Fox News host Bret Baier who received criticism earlier this week for persistently interrupting Kamala Harris, during a rare interview for the Democrat on the conservative network.
In the cold open skit, which saw Maya Ruldolph play Harris, Baldwin received loud cheers from the audience before revealing he was playing Baier, who he joked, “Yes, I do look like someone made a businessman in Minecraft”.
Rudolph’s Harris nervously laughed after shaking hands with Baldwin’s Baier, saying, “The pleasure is neither of ours”.
The skit poked fun at Baier’s real-life treatment of Harris, with Baldwin repeatedly interrupting Rudolph in rapid-fire fashion.
The skit also mocked a moment Baier acknowledged was a mistake by playing the wrong clip of a Trump response.
The clips allowed SNL to bring in mini-skits including one with Dana Carvey as Joe Biden, who has played the role since the beginning of the comedy sketch show’s 50th season.
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The skit closed with Harris asking: “Before I go, can I just say the thing I’ve been trying to say this whole time? Live from New York, it’s Saturday night!”, with Baldwin joining her.
This week’s episode was hosted by Batman and Beetlejuice actor Michael Keaton with musical performances by Billie Eilish.
Baldwin had previously hosted SNL 17 times but had been absent from the show due to the manslaughter case against him.
The armourer for the film, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, was given the maximum 18 month-sentence in April after being found guilty of involuntary manslaughter.
Halyna Hutchins was rehearsing a scene with Baldwin, the film’s producer and star, when he drew a replica pistol and fired. However, the gun contained a live round which hit Hutchins, mother of a young son, in the chest and killed her.
Additional reporting by the Associated Press.
