February 4, 2024
Nikki Haley Plays Along With SNL Fun, But People Have Questions
'SNL'’s decision to give Haley such a massive platform struck many on social media as irresponsible.
Nikki Haley, who recently said that Texas has a path to secede from the United States before walking it back, made a surprise appearance on “Saturday Night Live” and poked fun at herself for previously refusing to say that slavery was a cause of the Civil War. As Deadline reports, Ayo Edebiri hosted the Feb. 3 episode of “SNL” and made an appearance with Haley during the cold open portion of the program. Edeberi pointedly asked Haley, “I was just curious, what would you say was the main cause of the Civil War, and do you think it starts with an ‘s’ and ends with a ‘lavery’?” To which, Haley sheepishly replied, “Yep, I probably should’ve said that the first time.”
Edebiri, the breakout star of Hulu’s “The Bear,” also broke into tears during her “SNL” monologue, a moment that many actors and comedians still dream of.
However, “SNL”’s decision to give Haley such a massive platform struck many on social media as irresponsible. Some said it was emblematic of “SNL”’s fall from the position it once occupied, and any cultural currency it might have earned from making fun of Haley was immediately wasted, as she was not only part of the joke but in on it.
The “joke” references Haley’s refusal to say without exception that slavery was the cause of the Civil War, which, it should be noted, is what historians credit as the cause of the “War Between the States.” Instead, Haley gave a version of the “states’ rights” defense, saying during a New Hampshire town hall that the Civil War happened because of the federal government and freedoms.
“I think the cause of the Civil War was basically how government was going to run — the freedoms and what people could and couldn’t do,” Haley said.
Later, on a New Hampshire radio show, Haley attempted to walk it back a little, saying, “Of course, the Civil War was about slavery.” She continued, “What it means to us today is about freedom — that’s what that was all about. It was about individual freedom. It was about economic freedom. It was about individual rights.” Haley then claimed that the person who asked the question was a Democratic plant who’d been put there to ask her that specific question.
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