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Fact check: Claim that actor Alec Baldwin was fired from SNL is satire

Miriam Fauzia, USA TODAY
·3 min read

The claim: Actor Alec Baldwin was fired from SNL after shooting Halyna Hutchins

On Oct. 27, the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office announced a bullet was recovered from "Rust" director Joel Souza's shoulder that is believed to be a live round discharged by actor Alec Baldwin.

The investigation is ongoing into how a live round was placed and went undiscovered in the prop gun – a .45 Long Colt revolver – Baldwin used for the upcoming Western film that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injured Souza, said Sheriff Adan Mendoza, speaking at a press conference.

One article circulating on social media claims the controversy has ended Baldwin's career on the late-night comedy show "Saturday Night Live."

"Alec Baldwin Fired From SNL: 'He's a Huge Liability,'" reads the headline of the article shared in an Oct. 25 Facebook post by the page America's Last Line of Defense.

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The post amassed over 1,000 interactions in three days, and some commenters clearly took the post seriously.

"Karma got the old drunk," said one Facebook user.

"I feel sorry for his kids. No check for awhile," said another.

But this is satire. The story was written by a satire site, Potatriots Unite, and then shared by a related satire Facebook page, which is labeled as such.

USA TODAY reached out to the Facebook poster and Potatriots Unite for comment.

Article is from a satire website

The story laced with absurdist descriptions was published this month on Potatriots Unite, a parody and satire website. The site notes it is part of a network of other satire websites run by America's Last Line of Defense."

A disclaimer of the site's content can be found on its "About Us" page:

sat·ire ˈsaˌtī(ə)r noun: The use of humor, irony, exaggeration, OR ridicule to expose and criticize people’s stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues.

Everything on this website is fiction. It is not a lie and it is not fake news because it is not real. If you believe that it is real, you should have your head examined. Any similarities between this site’s pure fantasy and actual people, places, and events are purely coincidental and all images should be considered altered and satirical. See above if you’re still having an issue with that satire thing.

Baldwin was never a permanent cast member on SNL, only making guest appearances notably to impersonate former President Donald Trump.

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The actor's last guest appearance on SNL playing Trump was on Nov. 7, 2020, shortly after the 2020 presidential election and nearly a year before the "Rust" shooting. Baldwin joked about being unable to continue his Trump impersonation on Twitter, saying, "I don't believe I've ever been this overjoyed to lose a job before!"

Our rating: Satire

Based on our research, we rate SATIRE the claim actor Baldwin was fired from SNL after shooting Hutchins. The story was published on a parody and satire website that has a disclaimer warning the story, along with other content, is fiction.

Our fact-check sources:

Contributing: Bryan Alexander

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: Claim that Alec Baldwin was fired from SNL is satire