Saturday Night Live alum Taran Killam is doubling down on a statement he made earlier this year about regretting giving then-candidate Donald Trump a platform by guest-hosting the show.
Killam made waves back in April when he admitted that Trump’s appearance on the sketch comedy show during the election was “not fun” for him as a professional and that the president “struggled” at the table read. After six months of reflection, it appears Killam’s perspective on the situation hasn’t wavered.
During an interview on Conan Monday night, the comedian explained that he has trouble seeing the headlines day-to-day and not thinking about what role he might have played in humanizing the president.
“I personally have a hard time of having been involved in an endorsement of that,” Killam said.
“It’s not necessarily a critique of the show, but boy it’s really hard to have played a part in encouraging—or not even encouraging, just offering a platform for and promoting someone who I find I’m constantly disappointed in.”
Killam also recounted a dinner Trump went to with some of the cast and production team before the episode taped. SNL creator Lorne Michaels has for decades hosted a big group meal for the week’s celebrity host and cast, and the president’s visit to the show was no different. But Killam described the normally lighthearted meal as “tense.”
“He said something at that host dinner that I found at the time shocking, and now even more so,” Killam explained. “They were talking about, ‘Wow, you’re running for president! What a big thing to take on,’ and he’s like, ‘You know, listen, if I don’t win this thing I’m going to be fine. We just bought this huge property in Scotland. If I have to be president, I’m never going to see that thing!'”
“The priorities… were off,” Killam concluded.