The Obama administration is coming to an end, and while there are already plenty of reasons to be sad about that, here’s one more: It means that Obama’s “anger translator,” Luther, will be out of a job. The character, who says what the famously calm, collected Obama is “really” thinking, was a favorite on the now-departed Key & Peele and was last seen interpreting for the real President Obama at the 2015 White House Correspondents Dinner. On The Daily Show Thursday night, Keegan-Michael Key revived Luther for one last rant, with comedy partner Jordan Peele reprising his role as the president.
Peele’s Obama began the address with a warning for Luther to be on his best behavior, which lasted only a few seconds before the outbursts began about (who else?) President-elect Donald Trump. “I have greatly enjoyed my time as president,” said Obama. (Translation: “Except when Republicans wouldn’t let me do shit, and then that one dude said I wasn’t born here and then y’all elected him!”) “If [Trump] succeeds, we all succeed,” continued the president. (Translation: “Unless he succeeds with all the shit he promises to succeed with. In which case, we’re fucked.”)
The new sketch was written by Jay Martel, an executive producer on Key & Peele who wrote Luther-on-Trump as part of his personal postelection catharsis. Our president-elect, of course, needs no anger translator. He has Twitter.
