Gayle King’s tense CBS This Morning interview with R. Kelly on Wednesday (March 6) was recreated by the Saturday Night Live cast to open this week’s episode on March 9.
With Leslie Jones adopting King’s calm demeanor and Kenan Thompson suiting up as the R&B star and accused sexual abuser, the two rehashed the conversation in which Kelly had an emotional breakdown when King asked him about the various allegations he’s facing.
They played up the interaction for laughs, with Thompson as Kelly losing himself in the occasional musical interlude during the questioning and playing dumb (or acting dumb) throughout the duration of the interview.
Legal experts contend that Kelly’s interview with King on Wednesday was a “terrible mistake” for him to make in this moment. Kelly was arrested shortly following his interview over owed back child support. He was released hours before the SNL episode aired.
The CBS This Morning interview was brought up in SNL‘s Weekend Update segment as well, when Pete Davidson referred to him as a “monster” while taking a jab at the Catholic church: “If you support the Catholic church, isn’t that the same thing as being an R. Kelly fan? I don’t see a huge difference, only one’s music is significantly better.”
He then suggested that fans who are interested in continuing to listen to Kelly’s music donate a dollar to a charity that helps sexual assault survivors.
Watch the cold open below.