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Here’s how SNL tackled Harvey Weinstein

“It’s so hard to make jokes about sexual assault”

The Weinstein Company's Pre-Oscar Dinner in partnership with Bvlgari and Grey Goose Photo by Rich Polk/Getty Images for The Weinstein Company

A week ago, Saturday Night Live faced immense criticism because it had little to say about Harvey Weinstein and the allegations that he had assaulted women for years.

Last night, though, SNL took repeated aim — and perhaps by its own admission struggled to walk a fine line between funny, scathing satire and making light of sexual assault.

Much of the barrage came during Weekend Update. "He needs a specialized facility where there are no women, no contact with the outside world, metal bars — and it's a prison,” charged co-host Colin Jost at the top of his segment.

Perhaps presciently, Michael Che soon followed: “You know this is a tough spot for a comedian, because it’s so hard to make jokes about sexual assault, but it’s so easy to make jokes about a guy that looks like this.”

In another segment, three actors — Leslie Jones as Viola Davis, Cecily Strong as Marion Cotillard, and Kate McKinnon playing a fictional star — discussed sexual harassment on a film panel:


This article originally appeared on Recode.net.