On the night of January 25, famous actor and songwriter Lin-Manuel Miranda made a surprise appearance on the Saturday Night Live show. Miranda, 46, reprised his role as Alexander Hamilton from his popular musical Hamilton.
This special episode began with a fun sketch called “Founding Fathers.” Miranda came on stage in full Hamilton costume, greeted with applause from the audience. He was joined by James Austin Johnson, who was imitating Donald Trump in the show.
Miranda said, “Our lives have meaning only when we sacrifice them for freedom. The real meaning lies in building a country that belongs to all of us.” He then rapped:
“In America, everyone is equal,
America, not England, this is the next chapter,
We will have leaders, but never kings.”
After this, Johnson’s Donald Trump character entered and started delivering funny lines. He walked up to Miranda and teased him, saying, “Lin is so eager to rap, but he just has to stand there.”
Johnson, imitating Donald Trump, jokingly mocked Miranda further, saying, “This man is so close to winning an EGOT, and here he is standing and listening to me.” (EGOT refers to artists who have won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony award).
Miranda’s musical Hamilton debuted in 2015 and has won 11 Tony Awards, a Grammy, and a Pulitzer Prize. This musical tells historical stories through rap and hip-hop.
In 2020, Miranda spoke about the success of Hamilton, saying, “In this story, I showed America as I saw it. It resonates differently with people depending on where America is at the time.”
Saturday Night Live airs weekly on NBC.
