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

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

“Saturday Night Live” took one of the headlines last week on its latest episode, when a cast member played the concerned parents of a New York City college kid who was involved in an open-air protest over the weekend.

On Saturday’s episode — hosted by Dua Lipa (who also serves as the musical guest) — Michael Longfellow plays a talk show host who welcomes the parents of Heidi Gardner, Mikey Day and Kenan Thompson.

Longfellow noted that it was a worrisome time on university campuses across the country, and asked for comments from his guests.

Although Gardner and Day’s characters expressed concern about their children’s activities in protest of Israel’s war on Hamas, Thompson said he supported the effort.

“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 how he felt about his daughter, a Columbia student, being particularly involved, he replied, “What’s that now? Who’s daughter out there? No man, you buggin’!”

“Alexis Vanessa Roberts better be in class. Let me know he’s in one of those damn tents and not the dorm room I paid for,” he added.

When Day said, “I thought you were in favor of student protests,” Thompson clapped back, “Brother, I’m rooting for all your kids protesting. Not my kids. My kids know better, shoot.”

Thompson then added how her daughter wouldn’t talk about “free this, free that” in protest, “because I’ll tell you what’s not free – Columbia!”

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

“I do everything. Uber all day, Uber Eat all night, mow the lawn on the weekend, sell Gucci purses out of my trunk,” he continued. “Life guidance on IG, I hunt for gifts whenever possible.”

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

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

Of the 112 people arrested at 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.