Did you see Saturday Night Live’s ISIS sketch? The Feb. 28 episode, hosted by “Fifty Shades of Grey” star Dakota Johnson, featured Johnson in a skit that was supposed to be making fun of ISIS. However, many people thought the skit went too far over the line and became offensive, particularly since the skit, as The Independent states, references a Toyota commercial in which a proud dad is driving her daughter to the airport so she can join the military. It goes without saying that there were viewers who felt the skit compared the deadly terrorist organization to the nation’s line of defense.

As a counterpoint to the argument made by a lot of disgruntled viewers, “Saturday Night Live” member Taran Killam, who played Johnson’s father in the skit, has come out in support of the skit and its message. He wrote a message on Twitter, stating, “Proud of this. Freedom to mock is our greatest weapon. Thanks to the writers who asked not to be mentioned by name.” In the message, he included a video of the skit. The message received a rather large outpouring of support, but there were still some who thought the skit was in bad taste, period.

“Saturday Night Live” isn’t new to controversy. Once again, the show has made people debate the age-old question of when is something funny in a mocking way and when does it go over the line into offense? I don’t think we’ll ever find the answer to that question because something that might hit one person’s funny bone might offend the next.

If you watched the skit, what did you think? Give your opinions in the comments section below!

Taran Killam in SNL "ISIS" skit

By Monique Jones

Monique Jones blogs about race and culture in entertainment, particularly movies and television. You can read her articles at Racialicious, and her new site, COLOR . You can also listen to her new podcast, What would Monique Say.

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