Beyonce’s racially charged “Formation” song and video has sparked many debates and think pieces ever since the entertainer performed it in front of millions at the Super Bowl. And while the country is still divided on the song’s message, the comedic geniuses over at Saturday Night Live put their two cents into the conversation and hilariously parodied the reaction some white people had when they first heard Queen Bey’s new song.
The four-minute sketch, which acts as a movie trailer, opens with several SNL cast members re-enacting life for most of white America. There’s the happy couple enjoying their morning, a young woman jogging and a few white people at the office chumming it up before the day begins. As the slow, monotonous music in the background begins to build, the movie announcer cue’s up the frightening reaction some of the Internet and in the real world had upon hearing “Formation.”
“For white people, it was just another great week. They never saw it coming. They had no warning. Then, the day before the Super Bowl it happened.”
Clips from the Melina-Matsoukas directed video are seen on television and computer screens in the clip as media personalities explain Bey’s new song depict images of the Black Lives Matter movement, embracing her southern roots is an “unapologetically black” song and video. It’s at this moment that all hell breaks loose.
“Honey, get in here,” cast member Aidy Bryant screams. “I think Beyonce is BLACK!”
SNL takes it over the top with white people crying in the streets wondering how is it that after all these years their Beyonce is suddenly not only black, but a woman! (Dun! Dun! Dun!) They take it one step further when fake news reports indicate beloved Scandal actress Kerry Washington may also be black too!
“No, it can’t be,” Kate McKinnon said rocking back and forth in her destroyed office building. “She’s on ABC.”
This isn’t the first time Saturday Night Live has poked fun at the racial climate in pop culture. When many African-American actors expressed disappointment and outrage over the lack of diversity in the year’s Oscar nominations, SNL responded with a faux “Screen Guild Awards” by showcasing white actors in predominately black film with diminutive roles who not only receive nominations, but win the award.
Check out the hilarious Beyonce sketch below. Well done, SNL. Well done.
“The Day Beyoncé Turned Black”When Beyoncé dropped Formation, the internet lost its collective mind — some more than others.
Posted by Saturday Night Live on Sunday, February 14, 2016