Kenan Thompson supports college protests as long as they don’t involve his daughter in an SNL cold open

CNN
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“Saturday Night Live” made one of the biggest news stories last week in its latest episode, when cast members played concerned parents of college kids in New York City who participated in outdoor protests over the weekend.

On Saturday’s episode — hosted by Dua Lipa (who also served as musical guest) — Michael Longfellow played a talk show host who welcomed parents played by Heidi Gardner, Mickey Day, and Kenan Thompson.

Longfellow noted that this was a worrying time on campuses across the country, and asked for comment from his guests.

While Gardner and Day’s characters expressed concerns about their children’s activities in protests against Israel’s war against Hamas, Thompson said he supports the efforts.

“Well, I think it’s great, it’s great,” he said. “Nothing makes me prouder than young people using their voices to fight for what they believe in.”

But when Longfellow asked Thompson specifically how he felt about his daughter, a student at Columbia University, participating, the latter replied: “What now? When his daughter’s there? No, man, you’re messing around!”

“Alexis Vanessa Roberts better have her ass in class. Let me know she’s in one of those damn tents instead of the bedroom she paid for,” he added.

When Day said: “I thought you were supporting student protests,” Thompson responded, saying: “Bro, I support all your kids protesting. Not my kids. My kids know better, shoot.”

Thompson later added how his daughter didn’t talk about “Free this, free that” at the protest, “because I’ll tell you what’s not free — Colombia!”

He also mentioned how the school had the “gall” to charge “$68,000 a year” for tuition, and how he was there “busting my hump” to pay for it.

“I do it all. “Uber all day, Uber eats all night, cut grass on the weekends, sell Gucci wallets out of the trunk.” “Life coaching on IG, and trophy hunting whenever possible.”

At Columbia University on Tuesday, dozens of protesters entered the university’s Hamilton Hall and barricaded themselves inside before the institution requested assistance from the New York City Police Department.

At pro-Palestinian protests in Columbia as well as the City College of New York, 282 people were arrested, according to the NYPD.

Of the 112 people arrested in Columbia, 32 (or 29%) were not affiliated with the university, according to an NYPD official. At the City College of New York, 170 people were arrested and 102 (or 60%) of them were not affiliated with the college.

CNN’s Shimon Prokopich, Mark Morales and Selena Tibor contributed to this report.