Saturday Night Live Close this dialog window Streaming Options Most politicians have a love-hate relationship with Saturday Night Live. The NBC sketch comedy series has been poking fun at elected officials — with various degrees of brutality — since it premiered in 1975, and savvy presidential candidates know that studio 8H is a pivotal stop on the road to the White House. But most of those appearances are dutiful at best (see: Barack Obama in 2013) and disastrous at worst (see, or rather, don’t: Donald Trump in 2015). One notable exception: Senator John McCain. The longtime Arizona senator and two-time presidential candidate — who died on August 25 at age 81 after battling brain cancer since 2017 — took the stage at Saturday Night Live several times over the years, and each time, he looked like he was having a gosh-darned blast. Take a look back at his three most memorable SNL moments. “To Love, Honor and Stalk” (Oct. 19, 2002) McCain was the first sitting senator to ever host SNL, and while he played himself (and other politicians, like then-Attorney General John Ashcroft) in several sketches, he also fully committed to some sheer nonsense — with hilarious results. In this Lifetime movie parody, Amy Poehler stars as a woman whose husband, played by McCain, continually invades her personal space — whether she’s in the shower, coming in the front door, or even on the witness stand testifying against him. Simply managing to stand uncomfortably close to Poehler without breaking for the entire length of this sketch would be a victory for most hosts, but McCain drove the jokey melodrama home with his creepy grin and weaselly line-readings. (“Shall I loofah your back?”) “McCain in One” (May 17, 2008) Two months after winning the Republican party nomination for president, the 72-year-old Senator addressed the nation from Rockefeller Center. “I ask you, what should we be looking for in our next president? Certainly, someone who is very, very, very old.” He went on to spoof his reputation as a political maverick by boasting about reducing Arizona’s length of paved roadway to less than 900 miles, and forcing residents of the state to drive to New Mexico if they want to mail a letter. McCain delivered the speech with a winning earnestness and subtle comic timing, proving once again that he understood the value of self-parody when it came to winning the hearts and minds of the American people. “John McCain and Sarah Palin do QVC” (Nov. 1, 2008) Three days before the presidential election, McCain returned — alongside Tina Fey as his much-mocked running mate, Sarah Palin — for one last SNL hurrah. In a send-up of Barack Obama’s expensive 30-minute campaign ad, which ran on several broadcast and cable networks, McCain and Fey’s Palin talked up their potential administration (and some quality products) for the QVC audience. With his good-natured sales pitches for things like “McCain’s Fine Gold” (featuring a cameo from Cindy McCain) and self-deprecating humor (“I’m a true maverick — a Republican without money”), the Senator held his own with comedy veteran Fey and generated plenty of laughs himself.<doc-sep>NBC on Saturday (11:29 p.m., Ch. 4) will re-air the Oct. 19, 2002 edition of "Saturday Night Live" hosted by the late Sen. John McCain. That was the edition when McCain said in his opening monologue, "they tell me I'm the first sitting senator to ever host this show," then added/quipped: "They asked President [George W.] Bush but apparently he doesn't like to work on weekends." And for a quick reorientation, this was back when Jimmy Fallon and Tina Fey were "Weekend Update" anchors, while Tracy Morgan, Amy Poehler and Maya Rudolph were still in the cast (yes, this was even before Kenan Thompson, who joined the following season.) Al Gore hosted a few weeks later. (Why politics? The 2002 midterms were in November). McCain -- who died Aug. 25 at his home in Arizona following a battle with brain cancer and was honored at the Rotunda of the United States Capitol Friday -- got good notices for his "SNL" debut although some wondered why he had decided to host the show. (He had reportedly missed a vote on a defense budget to rehearse.) He told The New York Times the following week, "I was able to communicate with young people who, with all due respect, would never have gotten up to see me on a Sunday-morning show. What I hope it does is arouse their interest in what guys like me do and what I'm up to and I'm a real human being, instead of some stiff, as they cycle with the channel changer through C-SPAN." The 44th season of "SNL" launches Sept. 29.<doc-sep>
While many politicians are stiff in the “SNL” sketch comedy setting, McCain was a natural. In one sketch, he plays Amy Poehler’s creepy husband in a faux Lifetime movie . Wearing fake facial hair, he gets up in Poehler’s face, constantly invading her personal space, looking like he’s having a great time. Years later, he put in a short cameo on Poehler’s sitcom “Parks and Recreation,” where Poehler’s Leslie Knope snubs him. Calling back to the 2002 Lifetime sketch, Knope mutters “Nosy people have no respect for personal space” after the snub. Good thinking, NBC. On Saturday night at 11:29, the network is going to reair the 2002 episode of “Saturday Night Live” hosted by John McCain. The night before McCain’s private funeral, after a week of tribute, we’ll get a vivid reminder of the late senator’s eager sense of humor. At the time, McCain was the first sitting senator to host the show. Delivering his opening monologue on the 2002 episode, McCain is entirely comfortable, joking that he’s hosting the show because they couldn’t get President George W. Bush. “Apparently, he doesn’t like to work on weekends,” McCain says. Fred Armisen, as Venezuelan nightclub comic Fericito, shows up onstage to coach McCain on how to do a successful monologue. Another sketch features Darrell Hammond as Tim Russert hosting “Meet the Press,” obsessing over whether McCain plans to run for president in 2004. Despite McCain’s insistence that he won’t be running, Russert persists. He was four years off, of course. In 2008, after winning the Republican nomination for president, McCain appeared twice on “SNL.” The most memorable of those spots had him hosting a QVC show with Tina Fey as his running mate, Sarah Palin. His good humor was quite evident. In 2011, promoting her book “Bossypants,” Fey told NPR radio host Terry Gross that McCain was one of her favorite guest hosts. “Sometimes when you have a person all-the-way not an actor, it’s just delightful to watch them be game and try,” she said. “We all liked him tremendously.” Matthew Gilbert can be reached at gilbert@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @MatthewGilbert.