NBC’s attempt to give Kamala Harris a little boost on “Saturday Night Live” went awry when the network had to provide Donald Trump with equal airtime, turning the tables in a way few saw coming.

As reported by Red State, Saturday Night Live initially resisted allowing any 2024 presidential candidates to make appearances. That supposed principle crumbled quickly, however, when Kamala Harris showed up for a surprise cameo.

She struggled, as usual, to contain her signature cackle and even borrowed a bit from a skit Trump had done on SNL in 2015.

Kackling Kamala does an SNL skit where she sits and talks to herself. The skit was flat and, in the end, turns into a free commercial. Horrible.pic.twitter.com/M0R7aPVYYi

— Futurist™ (@americasgreat) November 3, 2024

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Kamala Harris SNL skit DIRECTLY copied Trump’s from 2015.

Can she do ANYTHING original at all? https://t.co/RX3zMprYfo pic.twitter.com/wwbdVJgig1

— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) November 3, 2024

The bigger issue? The Federal Communications Commission’s equal-time rule. When a network gives a candidate airtime, it has to offer equal opportunity to their opponent.

The Trump campaign, having received no such invite, took issue, and FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr called NBC out for what he described as “a clear and blatant effort to evade” the rule.

This is a clear and blatant effort to evade the FCC’s Equal Time rule.

The purpose of the rule is to avoid exactly this type of biased and partisan conduct – a licensed broadcaster using the public airwaves to exert its influence for one candidate on the eve of an election.… https://t.co/LliZF0po9t

— Brendan Carr (@BrendanCarrFCC) November 3, 2024

With the heat on, NBC filed an Equal Time notice with the FCC, admitting to giving Harris one minute and thirty seconds on SNL without charge.

With only days until the election, NBC scrambled to correct the slip-up, ultimately offering Trump two high-stakes ad slots during NASCAR coverage and another during “Sunday Night Football.” According to the Daily Mail, each spot was worth an estimated $1.7 million.

Trump’s team quickly put together a direct message, filmed in front of American flags, with the former president sporting his iconic “Make America Great Again” hat.

Trump began, “Hello to our great sports fans, and I hope you’re having a fantastic time. We’re two days away from the most important election in the history of our country. We’ve got to save our country, and it needs saving.”

In a sharp contrast to Harris’s lighthearted Hollywood cameo, Trump’s ad honed in on economic concerns, discussing alarming statistics and warning about the impact of the Biden-Harris administration’s policies.

“The worst economic numbers in generations were just announced,” Trump continued. “We’re losing jobs. We’re losing everything, including viability.”

BREAKING: NBC forced to allow Trump to air a free 90 second advertisement during Sunday Night Football and NASCAR per FCC regulations in order to provide equal time to Kamala Harris’ SNL appearance.

pic.twitter.com/OhKlWoVno7

— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) November 4, 2024

While Harris’s performance seemed to cater to Hollywood insiders, Trump aimed his message directly at everyday Americans, NASCAR fans, and football viewers who feel the economic pressure in their own lives.

His closing line made the choice clear: “Kamala and her friends broke it, I’ll fix it.”

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