Neil deGrasse Tyson Teaches Fox News About Science On SNL

Last updated on September 25th, 2023 at 08:41 pm

Saturday Night Live took aim at Fox News’ climate change denial by having “Neil deGrasse Tyson” trying to teach the Fox and Friends gang about science.

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The panel welcomes Neil deGrasse Tyson, played by by Kenan Thompson, to discuss a climate change report. It’s the usual experts versus the willfully ignorant as equals game.

“This report actually represents the consensus of the vast majority of scientists,” explained deGrasse Tyson. “It is an indisputable fact that the earth is getting warmer.”

Kilmeade counters, “I saw a documentary about a town that was always cold because of a princess.” Even Hasslebeck can’t abide this, so she corrects him, “That was ‘Frozen’.”

DeGrasse Tyson tried to find an in by mentioning the extinction of the polar bears to no avail, because Doocy is sure the polar bears are just fine. After all, “I saw one wearing sunglasses and drinking Coca-Cola.”

Figuring out that his mission may be futile, deGrasse Tyson explains, “I think you’re referring to a commercial.” Then he dares to go where no scientist has gone before, the black hole of Fox News where ideology informs facts, “I would advise each of you to study the science, for science is truth indeterminate. Science allows us to detect when people’s philosophies are interfering with the dissemination of those essential truths.”

Oh no he didn’t.

At the end of the clip, SNL rolled a very long list of corrections to demonstrate just how inaccurate Fox is, such as “Nancy Pelosi is a human woman” and “The periodic table is not about ‘lady stuff”.

But even as a parody, they were being way too kind; Fox doesn’t say they’re sorry or correct their mistakes, because it upsets the viewers when their “opinions” are threatened with reality. The way Fox corrects things is to ask the question, “Is Nancy Pelosi a human woman? Some say no.”

Sarah Jones

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