FCC commissioner raises equal time concerns over Harris' "SNL" appearance
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Actor Maya Rudolph (left) and Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Harris appear on NBC's "Saturday Night Live" on Nov. 2. Photo: Jeenah Moon/Getty Images
NBC filed an equal-time notice with the Federal Communications Commission on Sunday night for Vice President Harris' appearance on "Saturday Night Live," per an FCC commissioner.
Why it matters: FCC commissioner Brendan Carr said on X that Harris' appearance on "SNL" Saturday alongside her on-screen doppelgänger, Maya Rudolph, was a "clear and blatant effort to evade" the rule that's designed to "avoid exactly this type of biased and partisan conduct."
Context: FCC program guidelines state that equal opportunities during elections generally mean "providing comparable time and placement to opposing candidates."
- It "does not require a station to provide opposing candidates with programs identical to the initiating candidate," according to the FCC.
The intrigue: NBC aired a short video message from Harris' 2024 rival former President Trump during a NASCAR broadcast just after a playoff race ended.
- Trump said during the message that Harris would cause a "depression" as he urged people to "go and vote," per the Hollywood Reporter, which reported that ad was aired due to the Democratic presidential candidate's appearance on "SNL."
Between the lines: Harris appeared for one minute and 30 seconds, according to NBC's filing.
- Under the equal-time rule, Trump could ask for the same amount of airtime.
Zoom in: NBC also filed an equal time notice for Hillary Clinton's 2016 running mate Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), who appeared in a sketch on "SNL" after the cold open with Harris, per Carr.
- Representatives for NBC did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment in the evening.
Go deeper: Tim Kaine makes surprise "SNL" appearance in John Mulaney sketch
Editor's note: The story and headline have been corrected to show that Brendan Carr is an FCC commissioner (not the FCC chair).
