‘SNL’ shelved Harvey Weinstein jokes at last minute: report

NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” had prepared jokes to address bombshell sexual harassment allegations against media mogul and prominent Democratic donor Harvey Weinstein but shelved them at the last minute, according to The New York Times. 

The report comes after late-night hosts, including CBS’s Stephen Colbert, ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel and NBC’s Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers, all avoided the topic for two nights after an initial New York Times report on Thursday detailing the allegations against Weinstein. 

According to the Times, when asked by The Daily Mail why the show chose to avoid jabbing Weinstein, executive producer Lorne Michaels said, “It’s a New York thing.”

{mosads}”SNL” has become increasingly political since Donald Trump announced his candidacy for president in June 2015. 

The program recently won several Emmys for Alec Baldwin’s portrayal of Trump. Baldwin won the award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. 

Kate McKinnon won a Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series award for her portrayal of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, who has lived in New York for more than 15 years.

“Last Week Tonight” host John Oliver, who delivers a weekly comedy program that focuses on world events on HBO, became the first late-night host to address the Weinstein controversy at length on Sunday night. 

“The [New York] Times published a massive exposé detailing movie executive Harvey Weinstein’s years of alleged sexual harassment,” the British-born Oliver said.  

“And his response was infuriating because he and his attorneys admitted he needs help while also denying the charges and threatening to sue the Times.”