Jimmy Fallon got through the ‘SNL’ cold open without insulting Donald Trump

Hosting “Saturday Night Live” without making a political statement would be challenging for most comedians, but apparently not for Jimmy Fallon.

The “Tonight Show” star managed to appear in the show’s opening skit, set in the Oval Office, without disparaging President Trump. The trick: He didn’t have any lines at all.

Fallon’s role as Jared Kushner had him standing bashfully in a blazer and bullet-proof vest (an outfit the real Kushner was derided for wearing during a trip to Iraq) while Alec Baldwin as Trump made comments about Kushner not liking to talk.

The tame skit has some saying Fallon was being soft on Trump, a critique he's heard before.

During the 2016 presidential race, Fallon infamously tousled Trump’s hair during an appearance by the then candidate on Fallon’s show. The comedian caught some flack for that and is generally perceived as taking an apolitical approach. The Washington Post pointed out he’s not alone among network comedians in handling Trump cautiously.

This article originally appeared on Recode.net.

Will you support Vox’s explanatory journalism?

Most news outlets make their money through advertising or subscriptions. But when it comes to what we’re trying to do at Vox, there are a couple reasons that we can't rely only on ads and subscriptions to keep the lights on.

First, advertising dollars go up and down with the economy. We often only know a few months out what our advertising revenue will be, which makes it hard to plan ahead.

Second, we’re not in the subscriptions business. Vox is here to help everyone understand the complex issues shaping the world — not just the people who can afford to pay for a subscription. We believe that’s an important part of building a more equal society. We can’t do that if we have a paywall.

That’s why we also turn to you, our readers, to help us keep Vox free. If you also believe that everyone deserves access to trusted high-quality information, will you make a gift to Vox today?

One-Time Monthly Annual

$5/month

$10/month

$25/month

$50/month

Other

$

Yes, I'll give $5/month

Yes, I'll give $5/month

We accept credit card, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. You can also contribute via