A Meaningful “Saturday Night Live” Apology

“Saturday Night Live” has a long history of making people angry, but it doesn’t usually say sorry for its perceived transgressions. The show often employs biting political satire, a knife that would only be dulled with an apology.

That’s what made Pete Davidson’s in-person apology to Dan Crenshaw, the former Navy SEAL and newly elected Republican representative from Texas’s 2nd Congressional District, so notable. Davidson apologized Saturday for saying Crenshaw, who wears an eye patch after losing an eye in an IED explosion during his third tour in Afghanistan, looks like “a hit man from a porno movie.”

[Pete Davidson apologizes to Dan Crenshaw on SNL: ‘The man is a war hero’]

The televised apology, in which Davidson called Crenshaw a “war hero,” went viral, with people on both sides of the aisle praising the show for having Crenshaw on and the congressman-elect for accepting the invitation.

It was a unique moment for the show. Apologies from Lorne Michaels and crew might be exceedingly rare, but they do happen. It’s just that they’re usually not so straightforward, earnest and seemingly heartfelt.

https://youtu.be/GKaakjMVtyE

Sometimes, the apology comes quickly, such as when actress Kristen Stewart accidentally cursed during her opening monologue in February 2017. Her hand immediately shot to her mouth. “I’m sorry!” she said. “I’ll never be back.”

(Excerpt) Read More at: WashingtoPost.com