Fans excited for Melissa McCarthy’s hosting gig on Saturday Night Live were offered a bit of a tease on Friday, when she prowled the streets of New York in character as Sean Spicer, steering through traffic behind that infamous podium on wheels. Onlookers weren’t initially sure what was going on, and even news outlets in close proximity could only cover her journey in anticipatory glee.
McCarthy’s episode aired Saturday night, complete with the expected press briefing parody and what might just have been the worst game show in SNL history. But the sight of the actress as Spicer, scowling and shouting in the middle of the city, remained its most memorable moment. And fortunately, there was even more material than what ultimately made it to air.
In newly released outtakes, McCarthy goes in and out of character, containing her awe at the ecstatic response from surrounding New Yorkers by performing periodic Spicey moments: rummaging through hot dog carts, shouting “Learn how to drive!” at passers-by, and desperately yelping “Trump!” in the hope that he’ll appear out of thin air. Frankly, it’s worth it just for the continued sight of McCarthy on that mobile podium, ad-libbing her way to the finish line. Of course, she’ll be back soon enough: With this White House, there’s never a shortage of insane, despairing material.
