SNL is accused of violating FCC rules by inviting Harris and not Trump

Ahead of the skit, which aired Saturday evening, Federal Communications Commission Commissioner Brendan Carr accused NBC of skirting FCC guidelines.

“This is a clear and blatant attempt to circumvent the FCC's equal time rule,” he said on influence for a candidate on the eve of an election.”

“Unless the channel offers equal time for other qualifying campaigns,” he added.

MINIMUM WAGE ELECTION MEASURES 2024: WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW

The equal time rule states that anyone working in public broadcasting must offer equal airtime to candidates running for the same office. In 1971, Congress amended the law and added a statute that would allow the FCC to revoke a broadcaster's license “for willful or repeated failure.”

A Trump campaign official confirmed this Washington Examiner that SNL never invited Trump to perform this weekend.

In the SNL In the skit, which lasted just over two minutes, actress and comedian Maya Rudolph – who portrayed Harris on the series – looks into a fictional mirror and sees the real Harris staring back at her. Harris received long applause from the television audience.

“I’m just here to remind you that you got this, because you can do something your opponent can’t — you can open doors,” Harris joked to Rudolph in an apparent callback to Trump boarding a garbage truck a campaign event last week.

The move took place just a few weeks later SNL Creator Lorne Michaels revealed that he had no intention of inviting either candidate to the show before the election due to current regulations SNL is now accused of misconduct.

“Because of electoral laws and equal opportunity regulations, you can't bring the actual candidates,” he said Hollywood Reporter. “You can’t have the major candidates without having all the candidates, and there are a lot of minor candidates who are only on the ballot in about three states, and that gets really complicated.”

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

Journalist Michael Shellenberger said he would interview Carr live on X on Sunday.

This came after Trump filed a lawsuit against CBS 60 minutes for allegedly falsifying an interview with Harris. His attorney wrote in the filing: “CBS's partisan and unlawful election operations and voter interference through malicious, misleading and material news distortion designed to confuse, deceive and mislead the public.”

The Washington Examiner has reached out to the Harris campaign and NBC for comment.