‘Saturday Night Live’ mocks George Santos’ Jewish claims

My ancestors ‘actually knew Anne Frank,’ Santos said. ‘My ancestors were the ones that told her, ‘You should be writing this down’’

Bowen Yang portraying Rep. George Santos on ‘Saturday Night Live.’ Courtesy of NBC

By Benyamin Cohen January 22, 2023

Saturday Night Live returned from a month-long hiatus with lots of news to catch up on – including the revelations that Rep. George Santos, a Republican from New York, lied about his resume and his Jewish ancestry, the latter of which was first reported by the Forward.

Cast member Bowen Yang took on the role of Santos, appearing in two skits on last night’s episode. In the “Weekend Update” segment, he elaborated on his “Jew-ish” heritage.

“My grandparents were in the Holocaust,” Yang as Santos said. “The actually knew Anne Frank. My ancestors were the ones that told her, ‘You should be writing this down.’”

Referencing Santos’ claim that he attended Baruch College, Yang said, “I graduated on a volleyball scholarship from Baruch Atah Adonai University. He paused, before adding, “four years of mishegas.”

Yang’s Santos character also appeared in the opening skit on Saturday’s episode, in which he played a sideline reporter with an embellished resume at an NFL game.

Keep up with all of our George Santos coverage.

Benyamin Cohen is news director at the Forward. He is the author of two books, My Jesus Year and The Einstein Effect, and has written for The New York Times and The Washington Post. He lives with his wife in West Virginia with their three dogs, a cat and a flock of chickens known as the Co-Hens.

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