‘SNL’ Lands Exclusive Interview With the Chinese Spy Balloon

Matt Wilstein
·1 min read
NBC
NBC

Saturday Night Live opened this week’s show with—what else?—the Chinese spy balloon that the Biden administration successfully shot down earlier in the day. But unlike the rest of the obsessive media coverage the story has received over the past few days, the show scored a big interview with the balloon itself.

“Well, you got me. Congrats, you shot a balloon,” Bowen Yang told Chloe Fineman’s Katy Tur, repurposing his iconic portrayal of the iceberg that took down the Titanic and applying it to the massive surveillance device.

“I entertain you people for four days, and then get shot by Biden. I can’t believe that I’m Joe’s Osama!” he declared.

The balloon went on to explain that he was only flying over Montana because he loves Yellowstone so much. “Everyone is being surveilled constantly, but it always ‘shoot the balloon’ and never unplug Alexa!” he added. “If you care so much about your data, why do you all keep your bank password in your notes app?”

Later, he asked, “Is everyone freaking out because I’m a Chinese balloon? Because where I come from, I’m just a balloon.” As the MSNBC host said goodbye, he added, “You’re going to miss this Chinese spy balloon—I mean, normal balloon. But whatever, we already have your data.”

For more, listen and subscribe to The Last Laugh podcast.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now.

Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now.

  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next

Latest Stories

  • Taylor believes Britain's rowers in perfect place for European Championships

    Harriet Taylor's women's eight crew have full focus on Hungary to turn their silver fortunes of Italy into gold

  • I’m watching the Knicks’ playoff run from prison

    The New York Knicks haven't won a championship in over 50 years, but their recent success gives me hope as I seek clemency from life without parole.

  • German government nudges up 2024 GDP forecast to 0.3%

    The German government on Wednesday raised its economic growth forecast for this year to 0.3%, from 0.2% previously, and lowered its forecast for inflation by 0.4 percentage points. The forecasts are part of the government's spring projections, which Economy Minister Robert Habeck presented on Wednesday and Reuters published exclusively last week. "As the year progresses, we are now seeing signs of a slight economic upturn and that the economy is slowly emerging from its weak phase," Habeck said during the presentation in Berlin.

  • Bright Scholar Education Holdings Limited (NYSE:BEDU) Q2 2024 Earnings Call Transcript

    Bright Scholar Education Holdings Limited (NYSE:BEDU) Q2 2024 Earnings Call Transcript April 23, 2024 Bright Scholar Education Holdings Limited isn’t one of the 30 most popular stocks among hedge funds at the end of the third quarter (see the details here). Operator: Hello, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for standing by for Bright Scholar’s Second […]

  • Invesco's India arm settles charges of rule violation with markets regulator

    The Indian arm of global asset manager Invesco has settled charges of mutual fund rules violations with the country's market regulator, according to a settlement order uploaded on the regulator's website on Wednesday. Invesco Asset Management India and five others charged, including the firm's chief executive, settled by paying 49.8 million rupees (about $598,000), without admitting they violated any rules, the order said. The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) had initiated an investigation against the asset manager in 2021.

  • Ukraine receives new EU funds, sees three more tranches in 2024

    Ukraine received a new 1.5-billion-euro ($1.6 billion) tranche of financial support from the European Union on Wednesday and hopes to get another 10 billion euros later this year, officials said. Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko said the EU, which has provided Ukraine with 31 billion euros, had become the biggest donor of budget financing to Ukraine since the start of Russia's invasion in February 2022. The United States, which has approved billions of dollars in a new aid package to Ukraine, is also an important donor.

  • Antonia Gentry is embracing natural curls after years of fighting 'very real stigma'

    'Ginny and Georgia' actress Antonia Gentry wants to "embrace" her curls after fighting a "stigma".

  • Zendaya admits Met Gala is ‘terrifying’

    Zendaya has admitted she finds the Met Gala "daunting" ahead of co-charing this year's event.

  • Kim Kardashian planning on making second nipple bra

    Kim Kardashian wants to create a "nalf nip" version of the Skims Ultimate Nipple Bra following its success.

  • Cocoa rally could boost yields on 40% of global area next season

    Farmers who grow about 40% of the world's cocoa are earning record prices for their crops and could raise output significantly as early as next season, a leading cocoa expert said on the sidelines of the World Cocoa Conference in Brussels. Tropical Research Services’ Steve Wateridge said farmers outside top producers Ivory Coast and Ghana now have more than enough funds to fertilise and spray their trees with pesticide, as well as to prune. He noted that farmers in Ivory Coast and Ghana, who together produce about 60% of the world’s cocoa, have yet to benefit in full from record global prices because of how their governments buy, sell and set farmgate prices.

  • John Lennon guitar played on Help! set to break auction records

    Instrument played by both Lennon had sat forgotten in an attic in the English countryside for decades

  • Japan's yen hits 155/dollar, weakest since 1990

    The yen fell on Wednesday to its weakest levels against the dollar since June 1990, with markets alert to any signs of intervention from the Japanese authorities to prop up their currency. The dollar was last up 0.2% at 155.14 yen, its strongest since June 1990. The decline in the yen comes after a string of strong U.S. inflation data pushed the dollar to five-month highs and reinforced expectations that the Federal Reserve is unlikely to be in a rush to cut interest rates this year.

  • 'These are real people.' Ovation Theatre honors the Titanic passengers on stage in its latest show

    Latest Kern County, California and US and world news from 23ABC in Bakersfield, Calif.

  • Wabash National Corp (WNC) Q1 Earnings: Misses Revenue and EPS Estimates Amid Slow Customer Pickups

    Detailed Analysis of Wabash National Corp's First Quarter Financial Performance

  • Watch live: Grant Shapps questioned on defence after Rayner and Dowden lead PMQs amid council house row

    Watch live as Grant Shapps discusses defence spending in the House of Commons after deputy prime minister Oliver Dowden clashed with Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner during Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday 24 April. Rishi Sunak did not make an appearance in parliament today, as he is in Berlin for talks with German chancellor Olaf Scholz.

  • Pet shelters at capacity as population explodes in Hillsborough County

    Nearly every kennel at the Pet Resource Center in Hillsborough County is occupied by a fast-wagging tail or curious bark. There are so many dogs and cats waiting to be adopted. The capacity issue is playing out at shelters across the country. According to the National database Shelter Animals Count, 3.3 million cats and 3.2 million dogs entered shelters and rescues in 2023.

  • How to do the great American road trip: Arizona

    DIARIES FROM THE ROAD: In this exclusive series, Simon Veness and Susan Veness share diaries of their travels by RV as they take on the ultimate US adventure. For part seven, they roll through northern Arizona on Route 66, stopping off at the Grand Canyon and visiting Monument Valley’s tribal heartland

  • London marketing company fined £100,000 for making 80,000 'aggressive and unwanted' calls

    Elderly and vulnerable people were specifically targeted in the ‘highly exploitative’ calls, an investigation suggests

  • UPDATE 1-Ukraine receives new EU funds, sees three more tranches in 2024

    Ukraine received a new 1.5-billion-euro ($1.6 billion) tranche of financial support from the European Union on Wednesday and hopes to get another 10 billion euros later this year, officials said. Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko said the EU, which has provided Ukraine with 31 billion euros, had become the biggest donor of budget financing to Ukraine since the start of Russia's invasion in February 2022. The United States, which has approved billions of dollars in a new aid package to Ukraine, is also an important donor.

  • Bears sign assistant GM Ian Cunningham to contract extension

    The Bears have signed assistant GM Ian Cunningham to a contract extension. He's set to become a top GM candidate next hiring cycle.