Appearing on Monday’s Today show to promote a new movie, Alec Baldwin dismissed President Trump’s criticism of how the actor portrays him on Saturday Night Live. Baldwin claimed that he “can’t care” what Trump thinks and lamented the “dark history” that has supposedly occurred since the President took office.
During the interview, co-host Hoda Kotb surprisingly quoted Trump’s recent tweet about the show: “Nothing funny about tired Saturday Night Live on fake news NBC, the question is, how do the networks get away with these total Republican hit jobs without retribution, likewise for so many other shows, very unfair and should be looked into, this is the real collusion.”
Initially, Baldwin attempted to dodge her coming question by simply promoting the release date of his new film: “My response to that is The Public opens Friday April 5th around the United States. That’s what I say to him. Please come to the opening, sir. We have a ticket for you and your wife.”
Kotb pressed: “Do you read these? Do you care?” Baldwin claimed: “No, you can’t care.” Kotb followed up: “You don’t care?” He explained:
Listen, I mean, Lorne Michaels is a dear friend of mine. We did 30 Rock together, I’ve done SNL a bunch of times. And he said to me, “Do you want to come and do this?” And nobody thought he would win. So I’m going to do three shows and I’m out. And then he won and the rest is dark history, if we will.
Despite Baldwin’s assertions, shortly after Trump’s tweet, the actor took to Twitter himself and melodramatically fretted that the presidential critique was possibly a “threat to my safety.”
On Monday, he continued to feign being unconcerned: “And so, we go there to have some fun.” Perhaps engaging in some wishful thinking, he added: “But I mean, who knows how much longer that’s gonna last?”
Since the Trump entered the White House, Saturday Night Live has gone all-in leading the late night resistance against the President.
Here is a transcript of the April 1 exchange on the Today show:
8:43 AM ET
(...)
HODA KOTB: Well, on another note, Alec, I was flipping through the channels last night and of course – Saturday night, SNL was on. I wonder, do you just block out your Saturday nights? Do you say, “You know what, I’m not going to have any plans? I know they’re gonna call me, they’re gonna need me”?
ALEC BALDWIN: Well, I think there’s always a chance something will happen and they’ll say, “Could you come in?” The news is breaking every 12 hours, it seems. So I leave most of my Saturdays free.
KOTB: Wide open?
BALDWIN: Sadly.
KOTB: Alright, I mean, there are a lot of tweets that have been out there, but this one did strike me. It was from the President, basically saying this, “Nothing funny about tired Saturday Night Live on fake news NBC, the question is, how do the networks get away with these total Republican hit jobs without retribution, likewise for so many other shows, very unfair and should be looked into, this is the real collusion.”
BALDWIN: My response to that is –
EMILIO ESTEVEZ: He – Trump actually –
BALDWIN: My response to that is The Public opens Friday April 5th...
ESTEVEZ: That’s right, that’s right. [Laughter]
BALDWIN: ...around the United States. That’s what I say to him. Please come to the opening, sir. We have a ticket for you and your wife.
KOTB: Do you read these? Do you care? Are you –
BALDWIN: No, you can’t care.
KOTB: You don’t care?
BALDWIN: Listen, I mean, Lorne Michaels is a dear friend of mine. We did 30 Rock together, I’ve done SNL a bunch of times. And he said to me, “Do you want to come and do this?” And nobody thought he would win.
KOTB: Yeah.
BALDWIN: So I’m going to do three shows and I’m out. And then he won and the rest is dark history, if we will. And so, we go there to have some fun. But I mean, who knows how much longer that’s gonna last?
(...)
