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'He struggled to read at the table read, which did not give many of us great confidence.'

Saturday Night Live type TV Show network NBC genre Comedy Where to watch Close Streaming Options

Remember that time Donald Trump hosted Saturday Night Live in season 41? Over 16 months (and a presidential election) later, Taran Killam, a former cast mate who impersonated the president during the opening monologue, opened up about the episode in an interview with Brooklyn Magazine.

“Yeah, well, the president is a moron,” he said when initially asked about Trump’s response to Mike Pence’s Hamilton visit.

The actor then went into detail on the infamous hosting turn: “It was not fun, and most of the cast and writers were not excited to have him there,” Killam said. “I didn’t get the feeling that he was excited to be there, and it felt like a move for ratings from both sides.”

Asked if it was an “unpleasant” experience, Killam recalled, “He was… everything you see. What you see is what you get with him, really. I mean, there was no big reveal. He struggled to read at the table read, which did not give many of us great confidence. Didn’t get the jokes, really. He’s just a man who seems to be powered by bluster.”

SNL viewers may recall the backlash that ensued over Trump’s appearance. A social media firestorm and subsequent petition arose to urge NBC to drop the then-presidential candidate. The National Hispanic Leadership Agenda, taking issue with Trump’s hateful comments about immigrants, released a statement that read, “We are appalled that you would enable Trump’s hateful speech for nothing less than a ratings ploy and ask that you rescind the SNL invitation.”

Sources at NBC told EW at the time that those within the network felt there was no difference between Trump’s SNL gig and other media appearances.