Is SNL Ripping Off Sketches?

Saturday Night Live might be stealing sketch ideas from up and coming sketch comedians who submit to the long-running late night series. At least that’s what it looks like in the case of a recent spoof on Salt Bae. Comics Alex Ansoleaga and Ari Mannis – who have been featured here on LATV’s The Zoo – produced a hilarious Salt Bae sketch last year, only to have the sketch run almost identically (but not as funny) on SNL. The official show’s Instagram page posted the sketch this past weekend, only to have a deluge of call outs from Ari and Alex fans who instantly recognized the concept. Now, if this was a general spoof on Salt Bae, most people would let it go, but as you can see for yourself below, it’s pretty spot on.

From Ari Mannis: “Myself and @alexansoleaga wrote this Salt Bae Sketch in June 2020. I then submitted it on my 2020 SNL writers packet. We shot and posted the sketch in July 2020. I was not chosen as an SNL writer. The similarities between these sketches are too outstanding to ignore. Please judge it for yourself. @nbcsnl #stolen #sketch”

Alex Ansoleaga had this to say: “They say imitation is the greatest form of flattery… thanks @nbcsnl.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVcsDgmIK3Y

Peep the video below to watch Alex and Ari making a memorable on appearance LATV’s flagship talk show The Zoo: