Spirit Halloween Playfully Roasts ‘SNL’ After Fake Ad Sketch by Calling It an ‘Irrelevant 50-Year-Old Show’ With ‘Shrinking Ratings’ and ‘Unknown Cast’
by Zack Sharf · VarietySpirit Halloween is kicking off spooky season by trolling “Saturday Night Live” after the NBC sketch comedy series aired a Spirit Halloween parody during the Season 50 premiere. The fake commercial had cast members like Chloe Fineman roasting the Halloween store for “providing vulnerable communities with the things they need most: Wigs that give you a rash, single-use fog machines and costumes of famous characters tweaked just enough to avoid a lawsuit.”
The official X account for Spirit Halloween responded by giving “SNL” its own costume tweaked just enough to avoid a lawsuit. The store posted a photo for an “SNL” Season 50 costume titled “Irrelevant 50-Year-Old TV Show” that includes “dated references, unknown cast members and shrinking ratings.”
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“We are great at raising things back from the dead,” the Spirit Halloween account wrote in the caption.
“SNL’s” Spirit Halloween sketch has nearly 950,000 views and counting on YouTube, making it one of the most popular clips from the show’s Season 50 premiere. The episode was hosted by “Hacks” Emmy winner Jean Smart, although she did not appear in the Spirit Halloween sketch.
“Times may be good on Wall Street, but on Main Street, communities are struggling,” cast member Heidi Gardner says in a voiceover at the start of the fake ad. “Closed stores, shuttered businesses, empty parking lots… When hard times hit, it’s easy to feel like no one cares. “But help is on the way because when others leave, we show up.”
Smash cut to a Spirit Halloween store front and the show praising the chain for setting up shop in a vacant K-mart, revitalizing the building and welcoming customers “for six weeks and then bouncing.”
“SNL” will air a new episode on Oct. 5 with host Nate Bargatze and musical guest Coldplay. Other hosts lined up for the first run of Season 50 episodes include Ariana Grande and John Mulaney.