SNL is being criticized for a recent sketch played out depicting vaccination hesitancy within the black community, according to Fox News.
Daniel Kaluuya opened the segment with a joke aimed at racism in the British royal family.
The sketch featured Kaluuya playing a doctor and the host of a game show titled “Will You Take It?”
In the role-play, his acting family members were offered large sums of money simply to agree to take the COVID-19 vaccine.
One family member notes that he’ll start doing it when White people start taking the shot.
When the family member is informed that many people are taking the shot, the family member notes that “you can’t trust White people.”
No. No. No. @nbcsnl, how did this skit even make it on air?
It’s deeply problematic – making fun of Black folks declining the vaccine, esp without any context – past and ongoing racism within and outside healthcare institutions.
You all should know better by now. https://t.co/xE7c7CoOKH
— uché blackstock, md (@uche_blackstock) April 4, 2021
This s*%t aint funny, @nbcsnl Playing on stereotypes and generalizations is a dangerous game especially when 75,000 Black lives lives have been lost to #COVID19.
Polls show that over 80% of black people want the shot.
Vaccine Access >>> Vaccine Hesitancy https://t.co/Ywtd883Q3d
— Benjamin Thomas, MD (@BTMD5150) April 5, 2021
Although I‘ve enjoyed many @nbcsnl skits and these actors, this one got under my skin and I’m really disappointed. This skit is irresponsible as it further perpetuates vaccine disparities as being due to Black Americans being ignorant for a good laugh…(1/2)
— Krys Foster MD MPH (@DrKFosterMD) April 4, 2021
Viewers seemed very unhappy at the racially disturbing skit.
“Given my own governor pushed the narrative that people in my predominantly Black county just don’t want the vaccine, this was not the best skit to run on a show like SNL,” one viewer wrote.
“There are A LOT of people, not JUST black people, who are skeptical of the vaccine, why was there a need to center only Black people? This could have easily included many other members of the SNL cast too, by doing that the writing, the vibes, everything about it, was racist,” added another person.
“I was angry AF about the SNL sketch because I follow a number of Black physicians who have worked tirelessly to get accurate vaccine information to Black communities. It was a cheap shot, no pun intended,” noted a third person.
“Wealthy White people are coming into Black neighborhoods to get the limited amount of vaccines we have and SNL playing on racist stereotypes…” another wrote.
More from Fox News:
As of Tuesday morning, the novel coronavirus has infected more than 131,843,435 people across 192 countries and territories, resulting in at least 2,861,677 deaths. In the U.S., all 50 states plus the District of Columbia have reported confirmed cases of COVID-19, tallying more than 30,785,415 illnesses and at least 555,615 deaths.