Tom Hanks Blasted for Portraying Trump Supporter as 'Stupid Racist' During 'Saturday Night Live' 50th Anniversary Skit
MAGA fans slam Tom Hanks over 'racist' SNL sketch.
Feb. 17 2025, Published 1:45 p.m. ET
Tom Hanks has been slammed for playing a "racist" Donald Trump supporter during a sketch for the Saturday Night Live 50th anniversary special, RadarOnline.com has learned.
MAGA supporters were up in arms after Hanks, 68, revived his infamous character Doug, who donned a red Make American Great Again hat, spoke with a Southern drawl and fairs above expectations on a mock game show entitled "Black Jeopardy."
Hanks first played 'Doug' during a 2016 'SNL' sketch.
The 50th anniversary special featured numerous hit sketches from the past five decades, including Hanks' appearance on "Black Jeopardy," which first aired in 2016.
In the revived sketch, Hanks' character correctly answers a question and then tells game show host Kenan Thompson: "Speaking of church, if more folks went to church, we wouldn't be in this mess we're in now."
Thompson agrees then asks to shake Doug's hand, though as he approaches, Hanks' character is visibly uncomfortable and steps back, throwing his hands up before eventually taking Thompson's hands.
In the 50th anniversary sketch, Doug refuses to shake host Kenan Thompson's hand at first.
Online, MAGA supporters were offended by the "dumb" and "racist" stereotype the skit represented. They further pointed to the much more diverse group of Trump supporters the president has accumulated since his first administration as "proof" the sketch was outdated and misrepresented his base.
On X, one user called out Hanks and wrote: "Not ALL MAGA hat wearing patriots are white. In fact, most racism comes from the elite Democrats, you a--hole."
The post was amplified when CEO Elon Musk, a close ally of Trump, quoted the post with two fire emojis.
MAGA fans were outraged over the 'outdated' and 'racist' stereotype presented in the sketch.
Link Lauren, former aide to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., also expressed outrage over the skit.
He wrote: "This show wonders why their ratings are in the gutter. Trump won the popular vote. This tired trope that MAGA is racist is disgusting. SNL is an unfunny show for snobbish liberal elites."
Another Trump fan wrote: "Tom Hanks and SNL thought it would be hilarious for him to put on a MAGA hat and act out a stereotype of half the country in a desperate attempt to cope with Democrats' crushing defeat in November. Not surprising no one watches SNL or NBC anymore."
President Donald Trump began his purge of hundreds of FAA employees last week.
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A third chimed in: "Tom Hanks went on SNL dressed like a slob mocking millions of Trump supporters – portraying them as dumb, racist, rednecks. Keep it up libs. You'll never win another election again."
While right-wing social media users were furious over Hanks' cameo in the sketch, others applauded the Forrest Gump star – and attempted to turn the tables on MAGA supporters who branded liberals "snowflakes" over the past eight years.
One user wrote: "My timeline is flooded with MAGA folks offended by Tom Hanks on SNL last night and I can’t remember who are supposed to be the snowflakes?"
Another said: "C’mon now… you can’t tell me Tom Hanks didn’t capture the essence of that which is MAGA.. He called a spade a spade and MAGA is all bent out of shape as if it wasn’t true."
