Saturday Night Live has mostly saved their mockery of Ben Carson for during their Weekend Update segments. For their most recent episode, however, they devoted an entire sketch to Carson.
The sketch begins with narration about the media attention surrounding some claims made by Carson in his autobiography, Gifted Hands. It is later revealed that the voice comes from Black Jesus, played by Kenan Thompson.
A grainy intro for “The Young Adventures of Ben Carson: Adapted from the Stories of Dr. Ben Carson” reveals it is Detroit, 1968.
Carson is played by cast member Jay Pharoah, who speaks with a slower, almost slurred tone of voice. The sketch references statements Carson’s made about a Muslim president with Pharoah’s line of “like a Muslim in the White House, you guys don’t belong.”
The sketch also did a take on both his temper and lack of energy, with characters expressing confusion that he was angry, and that he needed to open his eyes more.
Carson is also thwarted from stabbing or hitting characters with hammers with a belt buckle. Apparently, it “happens all the time.”
It is not ultimately the belt buckle which stops Carson, but Black Jesus.
Black Jesus also tells Carson that “you still need to act right” because he has “a higher purpose.” He mentions how “someday you’ll save hundreds of lives, inspire thousands of kids, and make millions of people say, ‘how’d he get up there?'”
Since Carson doesn’t have any friends, he asks Black Jesus to be his friend, who answers with “I guess.” The sketch also references the portrait of Carson and Jesus that he has is in his home. It goes further by showing how the two went to Yale together, separated twins together, and went to Egypt to see the “ancient grain silos.”
The sketch ends with Carson comparing America today to Nazi Germany. When Black Jesus calls him crazy, Carson takes out his knife.
