‘I don’t remember how to live without it,’ comedian Michael Longfellow quipped. Saturday Night Live poked fun at the TikTok ban as the app went dark in the US. The US sketch show aired on Saturday (18 January) around the same time American users received a message reading: “Sorry, TikTok isn’t available right now. A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the US. Unfortunately, that means you can’t use TikTok for now.”.
![[Michael Che and Michael Longfellow tackle TikTok ban in ‘SNL’ sketch]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/19/09/SNL-Michael-Che-Michael-Longfellow.jpg)
However, the app reassured the 170 million people whom the ban will affect, telling them: “We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office. Please stay tuned!”. After an opening monologue from host Dave Chappelle that saw him tell Trump “remember, whether people voted for you or not, they’re all counting on you”, SNL addressed a raft of other subjects, including the LA wildfires and the looming TikTok ban over alleged threats to national security.
Backers of the law argue that ByteDance, the company that owns TikTok, gives the Chinese government a potential backdoor into the private information of its US users and a powerful covert propaganda tool. On the “Weekend Update” segment, comedian Michael Longfellow dropped by to “mourn the loss” of TikTok.
When Michael Che asked him if he’s “against the United States banning TikTok”, Longfellow said: “Correct. It’s the first political opinion I’ve ever had. I feel it’s my responsibility to come out here and defend TikTok’s rights to remain in these United States.”.
