Sara Lee Responds to SNL's Sexually Charged Sketch, Reverses Instagram Censorship: 'We Are Taking It in Stride'

Rebecca Iannucci

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Despite briefly hiding Instagram comments after appearing in a sexually charged Saturday Night Live sketch, the Sara Lee Corporation says it is taking the SNL fame “in stride.”

On the NBC series’ Nov. 16 episode, host Harry Styles appeared in a Sara Lee-centric skit in which he played Dillan, a social media manager who was called into a meeting to discuss “off-brand activity” on the company’s Instagram account. Dillan had used the @SaraLeeBread handle to leave sexually suggestive comments on multiple posts, including “Wreck me daddy” and “Destroy me king” on a Nick Jonas photo.

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In a statement to the New York Post on Sunday, Sara Lee’s parent company, Bimbo Bakeries USA, said, “We didn’t participate in creating the skit and its content doesn’t align with Sara Lee Bread’s brand. But we all know SNL pushes the envelope for laughs and we are taking it in stride.”

After the episode aired, though, the actual @SaraLeeBread Instagram account was flooded with comments referencing the sketch, including multiple “Wreck me daddy” replies to the company’s latest post. On Sunday afternoon, comments on the post had been hidden, prompting SNL cast member Bowen Yang to call out the company for its censorship.

“Sara Lee disabling and deleting IG comments,” he tweeted. “Wow they really could have been THE bread for f*gs.”

As of Monday morning, however, comments on the post have returned, and Bimbo Bakeries USA explained the social media strategy in a separate statement.

“We didn’t delete any comments but did temporarily hide them until we could read through and understand what happened,” the company told HuffPost. “All comments are now visible, and we will be monitoring for any that violate Instagram standards.”

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