Joe Biden, played by “Saturday Night Live” cast member James Austin Johnson, knows who’s really to blame for surging COVID cases, record-setting inflation and more issues facing Americans: Spider-Man.
This week’s cold open of the live NBC sketch show featured Johnson’s Biden dodging tough questions from reporters during a press conference. His strategy? Chalk everything up to the release of the latest Marvel movie “Spider-Man: No Way Home.”
“America, I’m here to tell you there’s one simple thing you can do to make this whole virus go away,” he said. “Stop seeing ‘Spider-Man.’ “
“Think about it,” he continued. “When did ‘Spider-Man’ come out? December 17th. When did every single person get omicron? The week after December 17th.”
Hold on a second. “What about experts who say the real problem is a lack of testing?” asked a reporter, played by Bowen Yang.
“You want to know if you have COVID?” replied the president. “Look at your hand. Is it holding a ticket that says you recently went to see ‘Spider-Man’? If so, then you have COVID.”
And, according to Johnson’s Biden, Spider-Man isn’t just responsible for omicron.
Inflation? That’s on Spider-Man. Democrats’ struggle to pass a voting bill? Also Spider-Man. The possibility that Russia will invade Ukraine? “I mean, if that doesn’t sound like a job for Spider-Man, then I don’t know what is,” Johnson’s Biden quipped.
Review: ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ is a refreshing blast of visiting baddies and second chances
Johnson’s Biden then launched into a theory about multiple universes — a key plot point in “Spider-Man: No Way Home.” When asked about the validity of this theory, the president gave a quip that earned applause from the studio audience.
“Doesn’t that make more sense than whatever the hell our current world is?”
“Saturday Night Live” was hosted this week by “West Side Story” star Ariana DeBose with musical guest the Bleachers.
Opinion:Biden just had a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. And it’s going to get worse.
