Since I was about 6, I remember my mom playing her favorite Saturday Night Live skits for me. From the very first skit I ever watched, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, Maya Rudolph, Jimmy Fallon and Kenan Thompson instantly became my favorite actors on the show. SNL has been a highlight of every one of my family movie nights and always will be. This year being the 50th anniversary of the comedy show, many memories of classic skits and actors are being remembered by SNL fans.

As I’ve started to see more people on social media criticizing SNL for being offensive, it’s hard to believe they’re talking about the same show I’ve been watching for ten years. I’ve heard a variety of takes — that SNL has a liberal bias, that they’re too harsh in their imitations of public figures, and that their skits are no longer funny, but simply offensive.

In case some forgot, SNL is a satirical comedy show. The humor is based on playfully mocking those in the public eye. Oftentimes, when viewers believe the show to be insulting, they feel as if they, or someone they respect, is being mocked unfairly. Yes, SNL pokes fun at viewers and celebrities, but they do so equally to everyone they imitate. If they single out an individual, it’s to playfully tease, not to deliberately insult.

In this current season, a particular skit in the 2024 premiere episode, featuring Moo Deng, a baby hippo portrayed by Bowen Yang, has a conversation with actor Colin Jost about how he has been recently overwhelmed with going viral, a reference to singer Chappell Roan and her recent public comments on being overloaded with the pressures of her quick rise to fame. Roan’s fans were hugely upset by this skit, saying Yang was blatantly mocking Roan, some even accusing him of misogyny. Roan herself wisely decided not to comment on the skit or the response of her fans.

I believe her fans’ remarks are foolish — SNL has made fun of celebrities in a similar manner more times than I can count throughout the years. Some other singers include Beyoncé, Ye (Kanye West), Céline Dion, Prince and Justin Beiber, who have all been continuous recipients of SNL’s lighthearted jokes, some of which are imitated in the skit, Michael Bublé Christmas Duets. Similarly to myself, some viewers love to see what the show writers think would be relatable or amusing to the public, and the execution of those ideas by the actors and musical guests we all love. Because of the usual satisfactory performances, much of the commentary on the show is pleasant. In the past, when I have come across a skit attempting to portray my age group and not being completely accurate, like the skit, Gen-Z Hospital, I laugh because of how far off they are. I don’t wince at the inaccurate portrayal — those who understand the point of the show would feel the same.

Throughout its 50 years, SNL has always included equal satirization of many groups and people — Democrats and Republicans, East coasters and West coasters, women and men, adults and kids, etc. Their humorous imitations are good-natured and intended to amuse the public with current, trending topics of interest. Those who take offense by that are failing to see the purpose of the comedy show. If viewers had felt affronted enough to not find any humor within the show, SNL would not have the widespread love and critical praise that it continues to hold.