'SNL' roasts Kari Lake in post-election episode: 'I’ll burn Arizona to the ground'

There was no way Kari Lake was going to emerge from the first post-election “Saturday Night Live” unscathed.

She did not. Boy, did she not. But once again, there was a razor-thin line between absurdity and real life.

Dave Chappelle hosted SNL for the third time. It was a controversial choice because of his transphobic jokes; reportedly some writers sat the show out. Black Star was the musical guest.

But SNL wasted no time in taking on Lake. The cold open satirized “Fox & Friends,” the formerly Donald Trump-friendly morning show on Fox News with Steve Doocy (Mikey Day), Ainsley Earhardt (Heidi Gardner) and Brian Kilmeade (Bowen Yang).

They talked about the red wave that wasn’t during the midterm election, wondering where predictions of this might have started? (This isn’t too far off Sean Hannity’s real-life reaction.)

The latest updates: Keep up with Arizona election results here

Cecily Strong's Kari Lake in her customary soft focus

Then, as the real Fox News and other Rupert Murdoch-owned media properties have done, they turned on Trump. Nearly all of the candidates whom he supported lost, they said — with one notable exception.

Ladies and gentlemen, Kari Lake.

Again played masterfully by Cecily Strong, “Lake” appeared in her customary soft-focus, the subject of much derision when the show spoofed her a couple of weeks ago.

And again Saturday:

“My campaign isn’t dead yet, even though my camera filter makes it look like I’m in Heaven,” she said.

The race is a toss-up, the anchors noted, but as of Saturday night, Katie Hobbs is leading.

“That is because the Maricopa County officials are incompetent and it’s my belief that the election is rigged and the results should be thrown out,” Strong’s Lake said.

SNL on Kari Lake: 'A regular hometown gal … lit like a ’90s Cinemax soft-core'

OK, stop, timeout. Once again, while to a national audience this might be funny, if you live in Arizona it sounds a lot like Lake’s and the Arizona Republican Party’s stock line.

Anyway, Yang’s Kilmeade interrupted to say that Lake had taken a lead.

“Which is why I’ve always said this is a democracy, trust the system, trust the voters,” Strong’s Lake said.

Wait, actually Hobbs is leading.

“Because our system is broken and it always has been.”

Wait, Lake is back in the lead.

“But thankfully now it’s fixed. Look, I am 100% confident I’m going to win this election. And I won’t stop fighting until every vote is counted and some are taken away.”

Do better: No, national media, vote counting in Arizona isn't 'messy'

Lake's views might be funny to a national audience. To Arizona? Eh

The absurdity of the system working when you win and being broken when you lose may seem like good fodder for a late-night comedy show.

In Arizona, it’s just real life.

Come on, Strong’s Lake said, who does Arizona want as governor? Katie Hobbs?

“Or me, Kari Lake, who lives right here in this beautiful pool of Vaseline, and who’s out there every single day at CVS asking Black customers if they work here.”

Ouch.

Well, Day’s Doocy told Strong’s Lake, we know the remaining votes will go to you.

“Well if they don’t, I’ll burn Arizona to the ground.”

Let’s hope that was a joke. But in Arizona right now, it’s not all that funny.

SNL tore into Blake Masters, too

Lake wasn't the only Arizona target on Saturday night. During the "Weekend Update" segment, Colin Jost reported that Mark Kelly had defeated Blake Masters. "Masters can now return to his true passion of, I'm going to guess, strangling hitchhikers?"

Will it ever end? Will Arizona stop being the comedy writer's best friend? If current headlines are any indication, not any time soon.

Serious fun: Why a former 'South Park' writer bought KariLake2022.com

Reach Goodykoontz at bill.goodykoontz@arizonarepublic.com. Facebook: facebook.com/GoodyOnFilm. Twitter: @goodyk. Subscribe to the weekly movies newsletter.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Saturday Night Live: Cecily Strong thumps Kari Lake in cold open