The Chinese balloon turned the topic of a sketch in the latest episode of “Saturday Night Live” on Feb. 4.

Larry Mayer/AP

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Larry Mayer/AP

“Saturday Night Live” kicked off final night time’s present by spoofing the most recent suspected risk to nationwide safety: a Chinese balloon.

The balloon, which the Biden administration believes the Chinese authorities was utilizing for surveillance, turned an web celeb when folks began tracking its travels throughout U.S. airspace. China’s Foreign Affairs Ministry stated the balloon was for meteorological analysis and by accident went adrift. But its presence led Secretary of State Antony Blinken to postpone a trip to Beijing amid rising tensions between the 2 nations.

The U.S. navy shot down the balloon off the coast of South Carolina on Saturday — a transfer that the Chinese authorities called an overreaction. Hours later, the downed balloon turned the topic of SNL’s chilly open.

The sketch begins with Chloe Fineman enjoying the function of MSNBC host Katy Tur and detailing the criticism from Republicans who stated President Biden ought to have approved the balloon’s demise sooner.

A Pentagon official, performed by Kenan Thompson, struggled to maintain a straight face as he retold the capturing whereas utilizing a contented birthday balloon as a prop. The sketch ends with an unique interview with the downed balloon, portrayed by Bowen Yang.

Yang, who beforehand portrayed the iceberg that sunk the Titanic, quipped that Americans would miss his presence within the sky.

“You’ve made it very clear that I’m not welcome here, so good job,” Yang stated. “But let me tell you something: you’re gonna miss this Chinese spy balloon — I mean, normal balloon, damn it.”