SNL's Kamala Harris Cameo May Have Violated FCC Rules

A surprising appearance from Kamala Harris may have thrown this week's episode into a tizzy Saturday Night Livebut it could also have gotten into hot water. According to a Federal Communications Commission commissioner, the sketch – in the Maya Rudolph'The satirical portrayal of Democratic presidential candidate and real-life Vice President Kamala Harris was a violation of the agency's long-established equal opportunity rules, which require licensed stations to provide a platform to all major candidates, not just the station's candidate of choice.

The rant came from the FCC's former general counsel Brendan Carrwho was nominated by both presidents Joe Biden and then-President Donald Trump to the five-member commission. Post on X (formerly Twitter), the self-proclaimed senior Republican on the commission wrote that the SNL Cold Open “is a clear and blatant attempt to circumvent the FCC’s equal time rule.”

“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 its influence on behalf of a candidate on the eve of an election,” Carr wrote on Sketch, continuing: “It unless the…” The broadcaster offered the same time to other qualifying campaigns.”

This is not the first time Saturday Night Live caused a stir in connection with the FCC with his appearance on election night. On November 1, 2008, then-Republican presidential candidate John McCain appeared SNL in the show's cold opening and again during “Weekend Update.” This close-to-the-election timing was enough to give the Democratic candidate pause Barack Obama Should have demanded comparable screen time from NBC. (The then-Senator didn't, and — spoiler alert — he won that election anyway.)

The series has a rich history of presidential candidates appearing as themselves, including Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clintonand of course Donald Trump, whose hosting role in 2015 reportedly included consultations with his bodyguard about whether or not certain skits were funny. That same year, former FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, appointed to the post by Obama, vowed to vigorously enforce concurrency rules in the 2016 presidential election.

The rules, which originated in the Radio Act of 1927 but were adapted and amended in the 1960s, require that “every licensee of a radio station permitting any person who is a legally qualified candidate for public office to have one “Use radio stations that provide the same services.” Opportunities for all other candidates for this office through the use of such a radio station.”

This rule is attracting particular attention as influence on public opinion has shifted from radio and television to social media. The FCC currently has no jurisdiction when it comes to powerful platforms like Meta and X (formerly Twitter), the latter of which has – in the words of the New York Times– was transformed into a reflection of the owner Elon Musk's personal views in the months leading up to the election. It's worth noting that Carr has been a defender of Musk, announcing in April that he opposed efforts to “arm” the government against the far-right mogul.

According to the New York TimesSentiments and misinformation spread on these non-FCC regulated platforms are responsible for a notable rise in xenophobia and hate speech. In the meantime, the FCC is here to fight it real Enemy: Comedic outlets like SNL And Jimmy Kimmel Livewhich was fined $395,000 in 2019 for using simulated emergency alert system audio to accompany a monologue joke, another shocking violation of the agency's clearly society-saving policies.