Once upon a time, we frowned upon wishing death on a sitting president.
Kathy Griffin’s career collapsed in 2017 after she shared an image of her holding President Donald Trump’s bloody head aloft, ISIS style.
That same year, actor Johnny Depp apologized after suggesting it’s time for another actor to kill a president, a Lincoln-Trump gag that landed badly.
That was then. Now?
Griffin wears that bloody image like a badge of honor. And “Saturday Night Live” not only joked about Trump’s possible death last night, but the show’s far-Left audience celebrated the crack.
This isn’t shocking. It’s the new, ghoulish normal.
Weekend Update co-anchor Michael Che noted that President Trump attended a showing of the Broadway musical “Chicago” this week.
“What’s the worst that could happen?” Che said, alluding to actor John Wilkes Booth’s infamous act.
Wild, sustained applause and cheers ensued. Not laughs, mind you. Cheers. Co-host Colin Jost couldn’t have smiled any wider at the crowd’s reaction to the Trump assassination joke.
Late-night audiences in the modern era expect one-sided, far-Left content. And that’s exactly what they get. They’re also religiously liberal, angry and, too often, full of hate.
Sound hyperbolic?
Late-night crowds cheered Luigi Mangione, the man accused of murdering a healthcare CEO in cold blood. The pro-Luigi sentiment even caught far-Left “Daily Show” host Jon Stewart by surprise.
The same audiences howled at arsonists attacking Tesla dealerships. Then again, the hosts found it funny, too.
And, now, audiences aren’t simply laughing at dark humor. That’s an involuntary response to tragic news, a way for people to process pain or ugly events. Remember how comedians reacted to 9/11, allowing us to laugh again after the national tragedy.
This wasn’t that. These audiences are cheering on death, assassination dreams and arson.
Hope Lorne Michaels and co. are proud of what they helped build.
