It would seem that “Saturday Night Live” is having a lukewarm beginning to its new season. Even with the amount of fat-trimming that happened over the summer and the additions of Michael Che and Pete Davidson before the new season began, the show doesn’t seem to be doing as much as had been hyped. The lukewarm beginning seems to going further south with members of The Groundlings saying the show lifted one of their skits.
According to Entertainment Weekly, Groundlings comedians Kimberly Condict and Vanessa Ragland have stated on Twitter that “SNL” stole their Tina Turner bit. In their bit, Condict and Ragland–in Turner wigs and short red dresses–perform their version of “Proud Mary” while interrupting the song to tell the audience about their tribulations. The SNL skit isn’t that much different, except for the fact that there are three women in Turner drag–Sasheer Zamata, Cecily Strong and host Sarah Silverman–pointing out their struggles with Kenan Thompson as Ike Turner.
Ragland posted a video to her and Condict’s sketch on Twitter, writing that theirs is the “funnier/OG version.” You can take a look at the video below the post.
“SNL” hasn’t commented on the skit and the accusation, but the skit isn’t available on Hulu or Yahoo, which could certainly mean something if you want to read in between the lines. Although there isn’t an official statement, a source told Entertainment Weekly, “It’s a common idea since Tina Turner is such an iconic figure. The similarities represent parallel thinking in the comedy world.”
What do you think about this allegation? Give your opinions in the comments section below.
