Skip To Content
JEWISH. INDEPENDENT. NONPROFIT.
Join the 2% of readers!SUPPORT OUR WORK!
Fast Forward

‘SNL’ Sings Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah’ In Season Finale Send-Off To Trump

‘Saturday Night Live’ used Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah’ to send a hilarious season finale shot at President Trump.

Alec Baldwin opened the show by playing Trump and crooning his version of the last Jewish songwriter’s classic, defending himself against various perceived plots against him.

He was joined by other characters who have mocked Trump’s inner circle since his election including Kate McKinnon playing a new role as advisor Kellyanne Conway.

There was even a cameo by Scarlett Johannson reprising her role as Ivanka Trump.

It was all a flashback to the weekend after Trump’s shocking November win, a week that also saw the death of Cohen.

But there was a hint at the real-life dark mood that has enveloped Trump as investigations into his purported campaign ties with Russia and firing of FBI Director James Comey hit closer to home.

“I’m not giving up because I didn’t do anything wrong,” Baldwin sang. “But I can’t say the same for these people.”

Are you one of our 2%?

Did you know that only 2% of Forward readers donate to support our nonprofit newsroom? That 2% make it possible for millions to read the Forward without a paywall or subscription — removing any barriers to the full and fair Jewish story.

But while the Forward is free to read, it isn’t free to produce. Big stories — like deep dives into the antisemitism data, political scoops or reporting trips to college campuses  —  take months of research and fact-checking. All while we keep you informed of what you need to know each day.

Don’t just read the Forward — invest in it. Support our work today!

— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Forward Publisher & CEO

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

Republish This Story

Please read before republishing

We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines.
You must comply with the following:

  • Credit the Forward
  • Retain our pixel
  • Preserve our canonical link in Google search
  • Add a noindex tag in Google search

See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.

To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.

We don't support Internet Explorer

Please use Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge to view this site.