Tom Hanks Under Fire For Portrayal Of MAGA Supporter On ‘SNL 50’

Tom Hanks has come under fire for what conservative viewers call a “racist and disgusting” portrayal of a MAGA supporter on Saturday Night Live’s (SNL) 50th-anniversary special.

The Hollywood legend caused quite a stir when he brazenly walked out of the comedy show’s 50th-anniversary concert with his wife, Rita Wilson after host Jimmy Fallon announced that no awards would be given out.

Tom Hanks also delivered an “in memoriam” semi-tribute to “characters and sketches that have aged horribly” on the show.

MAGA fans have slammed Hanks for portraying a Trump supporter as a “racist” during a skit on “Saturday Night Live” 50th anniversary special.

NBC brought back some of its best sketches for the golden jubilee of the comedy show, amongst which was “Black Jeopardy!” featuring Leslie Jones, Tracy Morgan, Eddie Murphy, and Hanks.

The “Forrest Gump” actor reprised his character as Doug, a clueless rube wearing a Make America Great Again hat and an American Eagle shirt, and surprisingly, he performs well on the mock game show.

Hanks first starred as Doug in 2016 when he depicted both the differences and similarities between Trump voters and black culture.

In the new version, Doug refuses to shake hands with Kenan Thompson’s character, Darnell Hayes, before reluctantly agreeing. The scene, intended to be satirical, sparked strong reactions from Trump supporters on social media.

Many MAGA supporters took to social media to share their reaction to Hank’s reprisal as Doug, arguing that the character has become an outdated stereotype as Trump has since won over a diverse electorate and secured the popular vote.

“This show wonders why their ratings are in the gutter,” former Robert F. Kennedy Jr. aide Link Lauren wrote on X. “Trump won the popular vote. This tired trope that MAGA is racist is disgusting. SNL is an unfunny show for snobbish liberal elites.”

Another X user wrote, “SNL’s desperate attempt to smear Trump supporters as racist is tired and pathetic. Maybe if they focused on being funny instead of pushing an agenda, they wouldn’t be tanking in ratings.”

More X users called out Hanks, claiming the actor’s sketch looked forced and “awkward” due to him reusing old material.

Someone wrote, “The hilarious handshake/recoil had already been done in Tom’s first MAGA sketch (which Tom actually improvised), which, unfortunately, made this one feel forced/awkward. Wish they had given Tom new material to set up a different racist reaction, that wasn’t a repeat of the first sketch. Almost felt like Keenan and Tom were set up for failure.”

They added, “Maybe the pressure of ‘SNL50’ made most of the sketches fall a bit flat? Also, I wish they had done a Please Don’t Destroy as well as Jiminy Glick video segments.”

Another user said, “I used to have so much respect for @tomhanks as an actor. Now, I can’t bear to watch any of his movies- even from the 80s. I just cannot accept how he can disrespect half the country. Tom, you should have stayed neutral and just entertained because you established yourself as an entertainer.”

Hanks left many guests puzzled after he and his wife Rita Wilson hilariously stormed out of the “SNL 50” concert on Friday at the iconic Radio City Music Hall.

In a video posted by Deadline, host Jimmy Fallon shared a disclaimer that no awards would be handed out during the night, but the PSA seemingly didn’t sit well with the couple.

“Apparently, there’s been some confusion,” Fallon said in the clip. “This is just a concert. We’re not giving out any awards tonight. So I just want to make sure that everyone knows that.”

Just then, the camera panned to Hanks and Wilson as they stood up and began to exit the theater in a brazen manner. Wilson was also seen jokingly shaking her finger towards Fallon as she held hands with her husband.

The talk show host then turned around and tried to call out to them, leaving the live audience in stitches with what appeared to be a planned skit.

“Tom? Rita?” Fallon called out with a puzzled look. “We lost Tom Hanks and Rita. Sorry. It wasn’t their fault.”

In Peacock’s “SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night” docuseries, the “A Man Called Otto” actor reflected on his first hosting gig on SNL and called it “the single most exciting thing that has happened in my career,” per NBC.

Hanks first hosted the show in 1985, during its 11th season, when he was 29. He has since gone on to host the show a whopping 10 times and became a member of the Five-Timers Club in 1990.

He was also the first host to be able to join the writer’s room and said, “The fact that they just put their head down and plowed through it was actually a bit of a life lesson for me.”

“Don’t read the bad reviews because someone out there is just going to hate your guts,” he added. “The cliché of saying it was a dream come true doesn’t do it justice. It’s a fantasy made real.”