A joke portraying Irish stereotypes performed on the US sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live (SNL) has come under fire on social media, with many taking to Twitter to share their distaste for the offensive bit.
During the short three-and-a-half-minute sketch, two of the SNL cast members portray Oscar nominees and award-winning Irish actors Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson. The cast members, following a back and forth about pretend Oscar odds, come out dressed as the iconic Irish actors to chat about the awards show.
The pair are unintelligible as a result of their thick fake Irish accent. The joke culminates in the punchline that neither of them is yet drunk, playing on the old Irish stereotype.
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The sketch, which aired last night on US television, has been criticised by many, including comedy writers and journalists online, who took to Twitter to explain their distaste for the short bit.
Donald Clarke, The Irish Times film correspondent retweeted the clip with the caption: “Jesus Christ. I really do my best not to be over-sensitive about representations of Irishness. But the bit at 59’ here on Gleeson and Farrell? F**k off SNL, you terrible, terrible, terrible show.”
Derry Girls creator Lisa McGee also chimed in, retweeting the same clip from the SNL page with the short caption: “Yes this fine” alongside the face palm emoji.
Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson will be at the Oscars tonight, both up for their first awards at the famous star-studded ceremony. The pair both starred in The Banshees of Inisherin by Martin McDonagh, the second film by the director that both starred in.
Farrell is up for Best Actor, while Gleeson is up for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. They aren’t the only Irish actors to secure nods at the awards show however, with a whopping 14 nominations handed out for Irish flicks The Banshees of Inisherin, An Cailín Ciúin and An Irish Goodbye.
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