Woody Harrelson is under fire for referring to his controversial stance on vaccinations and the COVID-19 pandemic in his opening monologue on the February 25 episode of “Saturday Night Live.”
The actor, who was on stage as an “SNL” host for the fifth time, went on to tell a story centered around the “craziest script” he’d ever read. After a few minutes of being distracted and talking about smoking weed, drinking and the type of tree he was sitting under, the actor describes the aforementioned script.
“So the movie goes like this,” explains Harrelson. “The biggest drug cartels in the world are coming together and buying up all the media and all the politicians and forcing all the people of the world to remain locked in their homes. And the only way people can get out is if they take the cartel drugs and do them over and over again.”
“I threw away the script,” Harrelson continued. “I mean, who would believe that crazy idea? Being forced to take drugs? I do that voluntarily all day.”
A few online viewers took to Twitter shortly after the live broadcast and slammed the sketch show for airing the monologue: “Thanks @nbcsnl for Woody Harrelson’s bland anti-vax monologue,” posted producer Lee Goldberg. “Who’s going to be innkeeper next week, Scott Adams?”
comedian podcast host Ashley Ray asked if this was planned or spontaneous.
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Scolding makes it sound like he happened to have done it without permission when this definitely sounds like a thing written on cue cards https://t.co/4HypS2ulLk
— Ashley Ray (@theashleyray) February 26, 2023
The ‘Champions’ star has previously been linked to a number of conspiracy theories surrounding the coronavirus pandemic. In an interview with Vanity Fair, he called the mask wearer “absurd” and explained that he didn’t get COVID because he was “clean inside.” He also published (and later deleted) an Instagram post accusing 5G networks of spreading COVID.
In the past, “Saturday Night Live” has been publicly aware of COVID and chose to film the quarantine season at the homes of its cast members. “SNL at Home” was even hosted by Tom Hanks, who coined the term the five-timer club, another joke Harrelson told during his hosting gig. And when they returned to 30 Rock, several cast members chose to film their opening credits sequence with a mask.
Despite his remarks, Harrelson was honored at the end of the episode with his “SNL” Five Timers Club jacket, presented to him by frequent presenter and two-time Oscar nominee Scarlett Johansson.