rewrite this content and keep HTML tags
Republican vice presidential candidate Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) was thoroughly skewered Monday by “Saturday Night Live” alum Cecily Strong and Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) in a no-holds-barred joke exchange benefiting “Comics for Kamala,” a virtual fundraiser for presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris.
Swalwell reportedly organized the comedy-centric Zoom rally himself and told Deadline last week that Vice President Harris “likes to have fun.” While the digital fundraiser also drew stars like Jon Hamm and Jason Bateman, the nuclear tag-team roast was hard to top.
“JD Vance has some very strange and upsetting positions, honestly — just ask his couch,” joked Swalwell in Monday’s meeting, with Strong adding: “JD claims to be the voice of the Rust Belt, which is only true if we’re talking about his belt after he fucks an orange couch.”
That particular exchange referenced a recent false rumor that Vance, who likened former President Donald Trump to Adolf Hitler before becoming his running mate, wrote about having sex with a couch in his memoir. The claim went rapidly viral last week but has since been debunked.
“JD Vance is confusing because his rhetoric wants us to panic about immigrants, but his eyeliner wants us to Panic! at the Disco,” joked Strong in reference to the pop rock band, with Swalwell adding: “JD Vance has been such a mistake Trump keeps calling him Eric.”
Strong noted at the top of their roast that she reached out to “the best joke writers” she knows — including current and former “SNL” writers Katie Rich, Josh Patten and Peter Schultz — who naturally took the opportunity to give Trump equal time in the fire.
“Trump wearing a maxi pad on his ear is the most support he has shown for women’s reproductive health,” she joked. “There is speculation that Trump is unhappy with Vance and is thinking about getting rid of him. But he better hurry because it’s been six weeks.”
Ben Gray/Associated Press
Trump has bragged about being responsible for the U.S. Supreme Court overturning the constitutional right to abortion in 2022. The former president has said the issue should be left up to the states. Several states now have laws that prohibit abortion after six weeks, while 14 have banned the procedure outright.
Harris, who became the likely Democratic nominee after concerns over President Joe Biden’s age led him to drop out, also became the first president or vice president earlier this year to visit an abortion clinic.
While “Comics for Kamala” targeted serious issues of this ilk in an effort to raise funds and prevent Trump from returning to the White House — and potentially implementing severe Project 2025 laws at the federal level — the rally kept entertainment at the forefront.
“JD Vance looks like you told Chat GPT to draw a guy who says ‘M’lady,’” cracked Swalwell, later adding: “I’m not surprised JD Vance is so anti-choice, since having no other option is the only reason he’s Trump’s running mate.”