On Saturday, NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” ran a sketch with cast member Cecily Strong dressed as a character named “Goober the Clown” to boast that she had an abortion at age 23 and that abortion “ought to be safe, legal, and accessible.”
The bizarre three-and-a-half minute sketch began with cast member Colin Jost “interviewing” Strong to “cheer us up” following the news that the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) heard arguments this week over S.B. 8, Texas’ new law that bans all abortions after fetal heartbeat detection.
“Here to cheer us up — well, this can’t be right — Goober the clown, who had an abortion when she was 23,” Jost said.
Goober the Clown
— Saturday Night Live - SNL (@nbcsnl) November 7, 2021
(who had an abortion when she was 23) pic.twitter.com/1rFv6UrPGu
In the sketch, “Goober the Clown” explained that she had an abortion the day before her 23rd birthday. Jost asked her if she wanted to talk about her abortion.
“Well, actually, I really don’t. But people keep bringing it up, so I gotta keep talking about freaking abortion. But it’s a rough subject, so we’re gonna do fun clown stuff to make it more palatable. Whee! Hey, who wants a balloon animal?” she answered.
“You don’t have to do this, Cecily,” Jost responded.
“Who’s Cecily? I’m Goober! And I wish I didn’t have to do this because the abortion I had at 23 is my own personal clown business. But that’s all some people in this country want to discuss all the time, even though clown abortion was legalized in Clown v. Wade in 1973,” Strong said, referencing landmark abortion case Roe v. Wade.
“Hey! Hey! Did you know, one in three clowns will have a clown abortion in her lifetime? You don’t because they don’t tell you. They don’t even know how to talk to other clowns about it, because when they do talk about it – if you were a clown who wasn’t a victim of something sad, like, clowncest, they think your clown abortion wasn’t a righteous clown abortion. I mean, what the d*** is that?” Strong continued.
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She went on to describe that years later, a “clown” would be at a dinner with lots of other clowns when one clown would open up and say they’d had an abortion. “And then like, eight other clowns at the table will say that they’ve had an abortion too cause that’s how common it is,” and “everyone’s excited and relieved to be talking about it,” Strong added.
“Here’s my truth. I know I wouldn’t be a clown on TV here today if it weren’t for the abortion I had the day before my 23rd birthday. Clowns have been helping each other and their pregnancies since the caves. It’s going to happen, so it ought to be safe, legal, and accessible. We will not go back to the alley – I mean – the last thing anyone wants is a bunch a dead clowns in a dark alley,” Strong said before the sketch wrapped up.
A slew of Leftist journalists, abortion advocates, and the like praised “Goober the Clown” for her efforts to “make us laugh” while working to “[fight] for justice and freedom” and “end the stigma” surrounding abortion.
This is wonderful, joyful, and powerful.
— Renee Bracey Sherman (@RBraceySherman) November 7, 2021
For some people, sharing our abortion stories isn’t the easiest thing—especially over and over and over again. I appreciate the humor and truth that she conveys about her abortion story and journey.
Thank you Cecily Strong. ?? https://t.co/QzWKqPWBL3
Thank you, Cecily Strong and Goober the Clown!
— UnitedStateofWomen (@USOWomen) November 8, 2021
Nearly 1 in 4 American women (23.7%) will have abortions. It’s time to end the stigma. And it’s certainly time to end the abortion bans and barriers to access. pic.twitter.com/cchTyLCxBw
“I know I wouldn’t be a clown on TV here today if it weren’t for the abortion I had on my 23rd birthday. … It ought to be safe, legal, and accessible.”
— Alexis McGill Johnson (@alexismcgill) November 7, 2021
Our stories power our fights for justice and freedom — even when, no joke, they make us laugh, too. ?? Thanks, Cecily. https://t.co/1NefK2WT8j
This is brilliant, from Cecily Strong. #ClownAbortion https://t.co/OqLqdSq8pn
— Rachel Parris (@rachelparris) November 8, 2021
“Did you know that one in three clowns will have an abortion in her lifetime? You don’t, because they don’t tell you...if you were a clown who wasn’t the victim of something sad like clown-cest, they think your clown abortion wasn’t a ‘righteous clown abortion.’" This is GOLD. https://t.co/YGEVROnvSK
— Farrah Khan (@farrahsafiakhan) November 8, 2021
Goober the Clown (Cecily Strong—thank you ??) could tell her abortion story, and so can you, if you’re up for it.
— Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg (@TheRaDR) November 8, 2021
The more people who share, the less stigma there is, the fewer people feel alone.
Or read some of the many powerful stories up at @AbortionStories /wetestify.org https://t.co/V7qLAWjHl6
This was a perfect sketch. Thank you Cecily Strong for sharing your #ClownAbortion story. https://t.co/O6c76aVcLh
— Julia Anderson Pulver, RN (@VotePulver) November 7, 2021
Wow Cecily Strong's clown abortion segment seriously made me cry, that was brilliant.
— Evie Nagy (@EvieN) November 8, 2021
?? WOW. Watch this. It's incredibly powerful, incredibly necessary, & utterly extraordinary. We're in awe of Cecily Strong - errr, Goober - for sharing her abortion story & using comedy to tackle a tough topic & tell some important truths.
— Catholics for Choice (@Catholic4Choice) November 8, 2021
Thank you. ??https://t.co/X6gjG1lChW
National treasure Cecily Strong, everyone. https://t.co/RI33FlvZ3l
— Mike Selinker (@mikeselinker) November 7, 2021
Abortion is health care, and should be safe, legal, accessible, and as easy and common as the demand requires. Just ask Goober the Clown! https://t.co/eGlDyju7K4
— Zack Ford (@ZackFord) November 7, 2021
Notice that Strong said “safe, legal, and accessible,” when discussing abortion access. The Left has come a long way from their original slogan – “safe, legal, and rare.”
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