FCC responds to commissioner's claim about Kamala Harris' “SNL” appearance

Kamala Harris' appearance on Saturday Night Live is criticized by a Federal Communications Commission commissioner.

Brendan Carr, a Trump appointee and the FCC's top Republican, wrote in a tweet that the Veep's appearance was “a clear and blatant attempt to circumvent the FCC's equal time rule.” However, the FCC has “no complaint received from interested parties,” Jonathan S. Uriarte, the Commission’s Director of Strategic Communications/Policy Advisor, wrote in a statement Weekly entertainment.

“The purpose of the rule is to prevent exactly this type of biased and partisan behavior – a licensed broadcaster using the public airwaves to exert influence on a candidate’s behalf on the eve of an election,” Carr wrote. “Unless the station has offered equal time to other qualifying campaigns.”

According to the Equal Time Rule, “FCC rules are intended to ensure that no legally qualified candidate for office is unfairly granted less access to the airwaves than his opponent, except for exceptions for bona fide messages. Equal opportunity generally means offering comparable time and placement to opposing candidates; it is not necessary for a station to offer opposing candidates programs identical to those of the initiating candidate.”

The FCC's Uriarte noted that Carr's comments “do not reflect those of the agency,” adding: “The FCC has not made a decision regarding the political programming rules, nor have we received a complaint from interested parties.”

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NBC declined to comment but will comply with all regulatory obligations.

SNL has often featured political candidates from across the political spectrum over its 50 years on the air, including then-presidential candidate Donald Trump's widely criticized appearance as host in 2015. Trump's appearance as host was met with protests, particularly from Latino groups, after the Republican candidate called Mexican immigrants criminals and “rapists” in comments. According to his later impersonator Alec Baldwin, Trump was invited to appear on the show again after his presidency, but he declined.

However, in return, NBC gave time to some of Trump's Republican primary rivals in markets with upcoming primaries. In a follow-up tweet, Carr claimed SNL structured Harris' appearance “just hours before an election” in such a way that “all other candidates were denied their week-long procedural right” to “request their equal time at the broadcaster.”

Other recent major presidential candidates who have appeared on the show include Barack Obama on November 3, 2007; Hillary Clinton on March 1, 2008 and October 3, 2015; and John McCain on May 17, 2008 and November 1, 2008, having previously hosted in 2002.

During the 2024 Democratic nominee's cameo, Harris echoed Maya Rudolph's impression of her as they gave each other a pep talk in the run-up to Election Day: “The American people want to stop the chaos and end the drama.” la, with a cool new stepmom ala, get back into our pajama las and watch a romantic comedy, something like that Legally blonde-ala, and start decorating for Christmas, fa-la-la-lala. Because what do we always say? Keep calm, ala, and carry on, ala.”