Kam Patterson played Professor Snape from “Harry Potter” during “Weekend Update” on “Saturday Night Live.”
Patterson’s casting as Snape is a reference to HBO’s upcoming “Harry Potter” series, during which the previously white character is being played by Black actor Paapa Essiedu.
After being introduced by Colin Jost, Patterson’s Snape began by speaking overly formally, saying “Good evening, Mr. Jost — nah, I’m playing. I don’t talk like that, bro. It’s called code-switching. Codio switchio!”
When Jost asked how his 12 months at Hogwarts had gone, Snape said, “Not great. We got this latest kid. His name is Harry Potter, and he’s racist as hell. Harry Potter — or, the Proud Boy Who Lived — spent the entire 12 months telling everybody that the varsity’s only Black teacher was secretly evil.”
Jost said, “I believe he’s just fearful because he knows someone’s attempting to steal the Sorcerer’s Stone.” “So any individual stole something, and the primary suspect is Black Snape? They didn’t even have a look at the white guy within the turban. So offensive. He’s got a wizard on the back of his head,” Snape said, referencing how the villain Voldemort appears on the back of Professor Quirrell’s head at the tip of the primary “Harry Potter” story.
“I’m really sorry that he just jumped to conclusions like that,” Jost said. Snape replied, “All good. It happens on a regular basis. I showed up at Hogwarts, and on the primary day they checked out me and said, ‘You’re the professor of the Dark Arts.’ I never even studied that! I majored in African Muggle Studies.”
“The entire wizarding world is racist,” Snape continued. “There’s one other Black guy, Kingsley Shacklebolt, a reputation I’m guessing they got out of the Wu-Tang name generator. Everyone’s in these dignified robes. They dressed him up like he was selling cocoa butter incense out of a barbershop.” When Jost asked, “That’s form of a cool outfit, right?” Snape said, “Yeah, for a Haitian cab driver. And why they got to place ‘shackle’ in his name? That’s crazy, man. Shackle? Shackle!”
Jost said, “Well, for the very first time, I’m beginning to think J.K. Rowling is perhaps problematic.”
Snape went on, “The entire wizarding world is tousled. We’ve got magic, we now have wands that may do anything, and folks in my world still have slaves.” He rejected Jost’s assertion that they’re actually called “house elves.” “Yes, some folk got house elves. I bet you didn’t know they got field elves too. They didn’t put that within the book, huh, Colin?”
Patterson’s cameo concluded with Snape calling out a final message for Harry: “Your mama was thick as hell, dog. I miss her a lot.”
Watch the sketch below.