Saturday Night Live’s cold open aired this past week and made sure to mention the current Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs scandal. The Diddy joke was made by cast member Kenan Thompson, who played Steve Harvey, in a Family Feud-themed sketch.
Videos by Suggest
Harvey is the host of the fake game show, with guests Kamala Harris, played by Maya Rudolph, and Donald Trump, played by James Austin Johnson. Before the sketch gets into any Kamala or Trump impressions, Thompson introduces his character.
He says, “I am Steve Harvey, and I have spent the past 20 years hosting every show on TV as my alibi for them Diddy parties.”
The joke is clearly referencing Diddy’s infamous white parties, otherwise known as “freak offs”. A-list celebrities would frequently attend the wild soirees, where many of Diddy’s alleged crimes took place. Diddy was recently arrested and is facing sex trafficking and racketeering charges.
While there aren’t any distinct connections between Harvey and Combs, it’s likely that Thompson was indirectly addressing the number of celebrity names mentioned in the scandal. The only link between Harvey and Diddy was found by Popculture, stating that Harvey’s daughter, Lori Harvey, was once “romantically linked” to the rapper.
There are also apparently several conspiracy videos that can be found on the internet about Harvey and Diddy. All of the theories mentioned, though, are not backed by any clear evidence.
The rest of the sketch is primarily focused on poking fun at the current presidential candidates, Kamala and Trump. Other political figures also appeared, such as Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, played by Jim Gaffigan. Current president Joe Biden, played by Dana Carvey, also makes an appearance.