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Scarlett Johansson Matches Katie Britt's State of the Union Energy in SNL Parody
"Tonight, I'll be auditioning for the part of 'Scary Mom — and I'll be performing an original monologue called "The Country Is Hell," Johansson's Britt announced in the March 9 cold open.
Every presidential election year opens the door to a fresh batch of headline-making political impressions on Saturday Night Live. Whether performed by a current cast member like James Austin Johnson as Donald J. Trump, a returning alum like Tina Fey as Sarah Palin, or a favorite Host like Melissa McCarthy as former White House press secretary Sean Spicer, these larger-than-life impersonations often give voice to our "am I really watching this?!" internal dialogue when it comes to the real thing. And though we're barely into 2024, March 9's SNL episode was no exception: SNL Five Timer Scarlett Johansson popped up in the cold open to portray junior Alabama Sen. Katie Britt, whose GOP response to the March 7 State of the Union speech went viral last week.
Johansson was dressed in the same green blouse and crucifix that Britt wore in her now-famous video, in which the legislator ranged from whispers to teary pleas and playful grins as she blamed President Joe Biden for the current border crisis. Johansson perfectly captured Britt's dramatics in a sketch that included a Get Out reference and Britt bursting into song to showcase her vocals.
"Good evening, America! My name is Katie Britt, and I have the honor of serving the great people of Alabama," Johansson began. "But tonight, I'll be auditioning for the part of 'Scary Mom. And I'll be performing an original monologue called 'This Country Is Hell.'"
RELATED: Watch Josh Brolin's SNL Monologue and Sketches from March 9
Scarlett Johansson became Katie Britt in SNL's cold open
Johansson and the SNL writers offered a spot-on take on Britt's speech, which allegedly caused a Trump advisor to say 'What the hell am I watching right now?" to a Rolling Stone reporter on March 7, matching many opinions on social media.
After a brief bit of misdirection, in which Mikey Day's President Biden recreated part of his SOTU — complete with the combative interruption from Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene (Heidi Gardner) — he turned it over to Britt's speech.
"I think she's going to help me more than anything else I can say here," Day's Biden said. "Enjoy."
The camera then cut to Scarlett Johansson, who is married to "Weekend Update" co-anchor and SNL writer Colin Jost, styled exactly like Britt.
"I'm worried about the future of our children, and this is why I've invited you into this strange, empty kitchen," the actress said, citing the choice of a kitchen setting in the real video. "Because Republicans wanted me to appeal to woman voters—and women love kitchen."
She went on say she found Biden's speech to be "the performance of a permanent politician," her voice cracking with emotion.
"But me? I'm not performing. I'm not. I'm NOT!" Johansson's Britt insisted, holding her palm to her forehead. "But first and foremost, I'm a mom. And like any mom, I'm going to do a pivot out of nowhere into a shockingly violent story about sex trafficking."
"And rest assured, every detail about it is real. Except the year, where it took place, and who was president when it happened," she continued. Since Britt's speech, journalist Jonathan Katz has pointed out that the heartbreaking sex trafficking incident she blamed Biden for actually happened not in the United States, but in Mexico, and occurred when George W. Bush was president, not Biden.
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After hawking her "bejeweled cross necklace" for QVC, Johansson's Britt broke into a smile while announcing, "And now I'm going to get really seductive for no apparent reason. As I was saying, the American dream has turned into a nightmare."
Did Johansson nail it or what? Experience the emotional whiplash for yourself by watching SNL's March 9 cold open above.
