In a unprecedented moment in which Venezuelan people are still either mourning or hoping for a new future for their country, “Saturday Night Live,” with the help of Justin Timberlake, took the opportunity to clear the air with a little bit of comedy.
Comedian Fred Armison welcomed the audience with a sketch in which he introduces Timberlake impersonating singer Elton John in Spanish, for a performance at the supposed memorial for the South American leader.
“Hello Caracas, I should confess I didn’t know Hugo Chavez very well… I did a bit of research and it turned out president Chavez was quite a complex man. So here it goes, everything in this song is true.
Good bye, Hugo C. you had such great style and panache, you were a man of the people and you liked to wear a sash. You called George Bush the devil when you spoke at UN, you said it smelled like sulphur and you called him Mr. Danger.
It seems to me you lived your life like a candle in the wind, if a candle could pull out two pistols at a press conference. You said the U.S. caused earthquakes and you outlawed Coke Zero. And on your shoulder stood your parrot with a matching red beret. You had your own TV show, it was called ‘Hello President’, it wasn’t about politics, you sometimes danced stand made up raps.
You helped to make a country the kidnapping capital of the world, which also increased milk production by almost 50 percent. And it seems me like you once gave a speech where you encouraged shorter showers, and another thing you said was capitalism killed Mars. (He actually said that...) You were hero to your people and you never gave up a fight. We'll Miss you Hugo Chavez, because Live from New York, it's ‘Saturday Night’!"
After the segment was aired, people everywhere turned to social media to react, while some criticized the performance labeling it as offensive, others prized it consider to be bold and funny.
Vice President Nicolás Maduro announced the death of the 58-year-old Venezuelan leader on March 5 during a national television broadcast. According to Maduro, Chávez died that day after nearly two years battling an unspecified cancer he'd been treated repeatedly for in Cuba.
Take a look at the video above, and what others had to say about it below. Let us know what you think in the comments.
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