Naked Gun director says Saturday Night Live decline led to Babylon Bee rise

foxnews.com · Mar 1, 2026 · Collected from GDELT

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NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Legendary "Airplane!" and "Naked Gun" director David Zucker argued in a recent interview that the decline of NBC's "Saturday Night Live" led to the rise of the satirical news site the Babylon Bee.While appearing on Mike Rowe's podcast "The Way I Heard It" on Feb. 17, Zucker was asked by Rowe what he thinks led to the rise of the Babylon Bee in recent years."I think it's a lot because of what happened to 'Saturday Night Live,'" Zucker remarked. "They were committed to an ideology rather than to jokes. And so, the Babylon Bee is much funnier, and I've gotten to know some of those guys and I subscribe. I love it. It makes me laugh. They're so good because their targets are better, you know." "Naked Gun" director David Zucker, right, spoke to Mike Rowe about why he finds "Saturday Night Live" is no longer funny. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)He continued, "Just how do you defend AOC and Chuck Schumer? You can't. And [Joe] Biden. I mean, you're stuck defending those guys. That's not very funny. And there's nothing to laugh at."As an example, Zucker pointed to the decision after the 2016 election to have cast member Kate McKinnon perform Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" as Hillary Clinton without a punchline."Where's the joke?" Zucker asked. "There's no joke."WHITE HOUSE SPOKESPERSON CALLS 'SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE' A 'WASTE' OF TIME AFTER SEASON PREMIEREZucker described feeling estranged from his own family because of politics, adding that he experienced a political shift after the 9/11 terror attacks. The Babylon Bee is a conservative satirical news site under CEO Seth Dillon. (Getty Images)'AIRPLANE!' AND 'SCARY MOVIE' DIRECTOR RIPS CANCEL CULTURE IN COMEDY: 'WE DON'T WANT TO TRY TO EDUCATE'Zucker spoke to Fox News Digital in July about why he voted for President Donald Trump despite believing that he was "crazy." Zucker took issue with Kate McKinnon as Hillary Clinton singing Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" during the first episode after the 2016 election. (Will Heath/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images)CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP"You know, as crazy as Trump is, and I acknowledge, yeah, he's a crazy guy, but... Look at what the other side is," Zucker said. Related Article Lindsay Kornick is an associate editor for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to lindsay.kornick@fox.com and on Twitter: @lmkornick.