Woody Harrelson's 'Saturday Night Live' COVID-19 joke draws mixed reaction: 'Conspiracy' or 'red pilled'

Woody Harrelson drew praise and scorn for his opening speech appearing to joke astir coronavirus vaccines during nan latest section of NBC’s "Saturday Night Live."

Harrelson, who hosted nan programme for nan 5th clip Saturday, ended his opening speech by joking astir a movie transportation he allegedly publication successful 2019 that he called nan "craziest" he’s ever heard. 

"So nan movie goes for illustration this: The biggest supplier cartels successful nan world get together and bargain up each nan media and each nan politicians and unit each nan group successful nan world to enactment locked successful their homes. And group tin only travel retired if they return nan cartel’s narcotics and support taking them complete and over," Harrelson said. "I threw nan book away. I mean, who was going to judge that crazy idea? Being forced to do drugs? I do that voluntarily each day."

SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE -- Woody Harrelson, Jack White Episode 1839 -- Pictured: (l-r) Musical Guest Jack White, Host Woody Harrelson, and Chloe Fineman during Promos successful Studio 8H connected Thursday, February 23, 2023  (Rosalind OConnor/NBC via Getty Images)

While immoderate Twitter users praised nan Harrelson’s evident jab astatine nan COVID-19 vaccine, galore mainstream media outlets criticized nan character for promoting "conspiracies."

WOODY HARRELSON’S ‘SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE’ MONOLOGUE ABOUT COVID SPARKS DEBATE, ELON MUSK SAYS HE WAS SPOT ON 

The Hollywood Reporter featured nan headline, "Woody Harrelson Takes connected COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates and Conspiracies successful ‘SNL’ Monologue." Fellow Hollywood Reporter professional Daniel Fienberg added, "Well, if thing else, nan speech seems to person made nan anti-vaccine crowd successful nan comments very happy."

Rolling Stone writer Marlow Stern besides reported "Woody Harrelson Spreads Anti-Vax Conspiracies During ‘SNL’ Monologue" while remarking that Harrelson "has a history of unusual anti-science remarks during nan Covid pandemic."

The Daily Beast’s Matt Wilstein wrote, "It was Woody Harrelson’s 5th clip hosting Saturday Night Live this week, a favoritism that often comes pinch a star-studded induction into nan coveted Five-Timers Club. Instead, nan character utilized his clip connected shape to ramble incoherently for respective minutes until yet delivering a not-so-coded anti-COVID vaccine connection to nan millions of viewers astatine home."

SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE -- Woody Harrelson, Jack White Episode 1839 -- Pictured: Host Woody Harrelson during Promos successful Studio 8H connected Tuesday, February 21, 2023  (Rosalind OConnor/NBC via Getty Images)

Several different outlets including Variety, Forbes and nan Washington Post recapped nan speech arsenic a "Covid conspiracy" pinch Washington Post editor Olivia McCormack, successful particular, referring to it arsenic a "pervasive" conspiracy and a "pandemic crippled favored by vaccination opponents."

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However, respective right-leaning viewers praised nan joke and remarked connected their astonishment that NBC allowed nan remark to beryllium made.

The Spectator contributing editor Stephen Miller wrote, "What precisely did they deliberation they were getting pinch him hosting?"

"People don't look to understand, Woody Harrelson is what liberals utilized to be," comedian Bridget Phetsay remarked.

"#WoodyHarrelson pinch immoderate two-year-old evident truth connected SNL," Washington Examiner columnist Ian Haworth tweeted.

RedState columnist Buzz Patterson commented, "Who thought that @WoodyHarrelson would ever beryllium reddish pilled? Love it."

"Shame Woody Harrelson will ne'er beryllium successful a movie again, he’s very funny," Washington Free Beacon executive editor Brent Scher wrote.

In 2020, during nan onset of nan pandemic, Harrelson antecedently shared a study "about nan antagonistic effects of 5G" regarding nan coronavirus.

"I haven’t afloat vetted it I find it very interesting," he wrote astatine nan time.

Actor Woody Harrelson attends nan crippled betwixt nan Los Angeles Clippers and nan Atlanta Hawks astatine State Farm Arena connected January 28, 2023 successful Atlanta, Georgia.  (Paras Griffin/Getty Images)

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Harrelson’s joke followed mainstream media outlets reporting much captious opinions connected pandemic policies. On Tuesday, nan New York Times published an sentiment portion reading, "The Mask Mandates Did Nothing. Will Any Lessons Be Learned?" On Thursday, NBC News published a study revealing that earthy immunity from a erstwhile COVID-19 infection could supply arsenic beardown protection arsenic 2 doses of nan mRNA vaccine.