Dr. Anthony Fauci Gets His Wish As Brad Pitt Plays Him On ‘Saturday Night Live’
Dr. Anthony Fauci has gotten his wish.
On Saturday, actor Brad Pitt appeared on a special “at home” version of Saturday Night Live, playing the doctor in a skit to open the show. This came weeks after Fauci jokingly suggested that the World War Z actor might be the best pick if the weekly comedy show decided to feature him.
The skit, which appeared to be filmed inside the actor’s home, showed him wearing a wig and adopting a Brooklyn accent to portray the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
And now, a message from Dr. Anthony Fauci. #SNLAtHome pic.twitter.com/LYemNAWaAT
— Saturday Night Live – SNL (@nbcsnl) April 26, 2020
The video drew some viral interest, with both Pitt’s and Fauci’s names shooting to the top of Twitter trends and thousands sharing the video that Saturday Night Live posted. In the skit, Fauci cleared up some of the misstatements made by President Donald Trump on the response to the coronavirus, including Trump’s claim that a vaccine would be prepared “relatively” soon.
Experts have noted that it will likely take 12 to 18 months until a vaccine is completed and widely available, and Pitt-as-Fauci joked about Trump’s loose use of the word “relative.”
“‘Relatively soon’ is an interesting phrase,” he said. “Relative to the entire history of earth, sure, the vaccine is going to come real fast. But if you were to tell a friend, ‘I’ll be over relatively soon,’ and then showed up a year and a half later, well, your friend may be relatively pissed off.”
Fauci had entertained the idea of Pitt playing him during an appearance on CNN’s New Day back on April 10. Host Alisyn Camerota asked Fauci if he had thought about Saturday Night Live doing a skit about him.
“I have no idea. I hope not,” he said in a clip posted on Twitter.
When Camerota offered a few suggestions on who could portray him, including actors Ben Stiller and Brad Pitt, Fauci seemed to like one of them very much.
“Oh Brad Pitt,” Fauci joked. “Of course.”
Pitt’s appearance as Fauci on Saturday Night Live generated plenty of interest, with many taking to Twitter to share their happiness at seeing the actor play him.
Brad Pitt opening #SNL ? My night is officially made!
— Hillary Atkin (@HillaryAtkin) April 26, 2020
Brad Pitt as Dr. Fauci is the perfect casting I didn't know I needed. #SNL
— Steph The Writer (@TheWriterSteph) April 26, 2020
The Saturday Night Live skit may be the closest version of Fauci that Americans see for a few days. As NBC News noted, the top doctor has been absent from nearly all of the White House daily coronavirus briefings this week, prompting a bit of concern from those who have come to trust him. Part of this was fueled by Trump, who had previously retweeted a message that included the hashtag #FireFauci after the top doctor publicly contradicted the president. The White House later assured that his job is not at all in danger.
