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Actor Scarlett Johansson thrilled fans with her surprise cameo during Saturday Night Live's cold open, mocking Alabama Republican Senator Katie Britt's bizarre response to President Joe Biden's State of the Union address.
Britt's rebuttal presented a counter-narrative to Biden's critiques of the GOP, and highlighted what she saw as a darker reality under his leadership, characterizing the American dream as "a nightmare." She also emphasized her role as a wife and mother of two children and asserted that the "country we know and love seems to be slipping away."
All of this and more provided Johansson plenty of material to delight the show's fans after she masterfully replicated Britt's video response.
You can watch Johansson's performance during the cold open in the video below.
In her satirical monologue, Johansson auditioned for the role of "Scary Mom" and performed an original piece titled 'This Country Is Hell':
"You see, I’m not just a senator. I’m a wife, a mother… and the craziest b**ch in the Target parking lot.”
"I'm worried about the future of our children, and this is why I've invited you into this strange, empty kitchen. Because Republicans want me to appeal to women voters and women love kitchens. But seriously, my husband Wesley and I just watched President Biden's speech and what I saw was the performance by a permanent politician.”
“But me, I'm not performing. I'm not. I'm not!"
In a series of abrupt tonal shifts, Johansson addressed serious topics like sex trafficking, claiming that everything she said was true "except the year, where it took place, and who was President when it happened," referencing Britt's use of sex trafficking survivor and advocate Karla Jacinto's story to fearmonger about Biden's immigration policy.
Johansson then took a "weirdly seductive" turn for "no apparent reason"; at one point, she made a nod to director Jordan Peele's Get Out and ominously stirred a teacup, leading to actor Kenan Thompson's character drifting off to the sunken place.
She even proceeded to "sell" golden necklaces that women can wear "from da church to da club" in a spoof of QVC segments, and kept looping her thoughts back to the creepy kitchen in which she sat, observing:
“Kitchens are where families have the hard conversations. Like the one we’ll have tomorrow about how mommy freaked out the entire country."
She continued:
"To the American people who are struggling right now, know this: We hear you. We see you. We smell you. We're inside your kitchen right now looking through your fridge. And what's that on the top shelf? Migrants.”
"To the President of the United States, I'll just say this: Mr. Biden, this isn't the last you'll see of Katie Britt. Maybe not in politics, but when you close your eyes, I'll be right there.”
Many applauded Johansson's performance.
One thing is for sure: If Britt's profile continues to rise, it's very likely we'll see Johansson back on set to lampoon her and make us laugh some more.