7 Best Saturday Night Live Skits About Cars & Driving
The top source for pop culture parody on television for four decades, Saturday Night Live has left no subject unaddressed or unscathed. Its wit and buffoonery have occasionally turned to the automotive industry and our driving habits. Here are seven of the best Saturday Night Live skits about cars that parody everything from driving habits to used car commercials to corner garage mechanics.
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“Uber for Jen”
An odd but memorable short film from Mike O’Brien that aired in November 2015, “Uber for Jen” follows passenger Jen (guest host Elizabeth Banks) as she’s ferried by her Uber driver who refuses to follow her directions. Instead of taking her to her destination, he takes her to White Castle and the bank, quickly becoming best friends. It’s a strange, tongue-in-cheek look at our fleeting relationships with our Uber drivers.
“Lincoln Ads”
Saturday Night Live poked fun at the wildly popular Lincoln commercials that originally featured Matthew McConaughey. For their version, they employed funnyman Jim Carrey, guest hosting on an episode in October 2014. Riffing on the idiosyncrasies of McConaughey and the luxury brand’s recognizable ads, Carrey and SNL brought a keen wit to their believable-looking parody.
“Auto Shop”
A troupe of funnymen — including guest host Chris Pine — pay homage to the blue collar working man and his secret obsessions in this skit that aired in May 2017. Workers at Jackson Auto Service Center are chatting in the break room and come to find out that — though hesitant to admit it — they’re all die-hard fans of RuPaul’s Drag Race.
Photo: Saturday Night Live/NBC
“T.R.A.A.A.P.D. Driving PSA”
Guest host Taylor Swift donned orthodontic headgear and became the character Samantha Samuels for this skit that aired in November 2009. Samuels addresses the audience in a PSA-style format to promote her new foundation Teens Raising Awareness About Awful Parent Drivers. T.R.A.A.A.P.D., which sheds like on destructive driving habits of parents such as driving while trying to get something out of your purse, driving while lecturing, and driving while revealing family secrets.
“Rick’s Model Ts”
Talented SNL alums Mike O’Brien and Tina Fey take us back to the early days of the automobile in this commercial for Rick’s Model Ts, which aired in 2013. Rick is pitching a revolutionary new idea to viewers: buying a previously owned automobile. As the very first used car salesman, Rick bears many of the characteristics we’ve come to associate with used car salesmen. Unfortunately, his wife is much crazier than the crazy deals Rick is offering.
“Penelope: Traffic School”
Kristen Wiig’s recurring character Penelope has to take a traffic school class led by Regina (guest host Amy Adams). The skit, which aired in March 2008, features Penelope and her constant interruptions striving to outdo everyone else in the room. So…
“Toonces the Driving Cat”
No list about SNL skits involving cars would be complete without including the most famous character: Toonces the Driving Cat. A wildly popular recurring character after it originally appeared in April 1989, Toonces was a grey-and-black cat whose owners (Victoria Jackson and Steve Martin, later Dana Carvey) discover he can drive a car … just not very well. The recurring punchline involved the cat driving the car and its passengers off a cliff (using the same recycled stock footage). Toonces appeared in four skits and even a half-hour prime time special titled Toonces, the Cat Who Could Drive a Car in 1992.
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