A few weeks back, Dr. Anthony Fauci was asked who he’d like to see portray him on Saturday Night Live. “Brad Pitt,” Fauci, 79, said with a grin. Well, this weekend, Dr. Fauci got his wish.
To open SNL’s latest “At Home” episode, Pitt portrayed the world famous immunologist in an address seeking to clear up “a lot of misinformation out there” about the coronavirus. Or, more specifically, he wanted to clarify what Donald Trump “was trying to say” when he predicted the virus would miraculously disappear one day, or when he said every American who wanted a test who could get a test, or when he theorized that Americans could inject disinfectant into their bodies to “knock out” the virus.
“Yeah, I’m getting fired,” Pitt’s Fauci eventually concluded. “But until then, I’m going to be there, putting out the facts for whoever’s listening. And when I hear things like, ‘The virus can be cured if everyone takes the Tide Pod challenge, I’ll be there to say, ‘Please don’t.’”
At the end of the sketch, Pitt took off his wig and thanked Dr. Fauci for his “calm and clarity during this unnerving time.” He also thanked the medical workers and first responders on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pitt returned later in the episode to introduce Miley Cyrus’ cover of Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here”.