Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro re-enact Meet the Parents for SNL cold open

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

One of the most unlikely pairings in cinematic history is that of comedy star Ben Stiller and multi-Oscar winner Robert De Niro. The two weaved magic together in MEET THE PARENTS (and were still great together in the lesser sequels), with one notable scene being when Stiller’s character is hooked up to a lie detector by De Niro’s character, the father of Stiller’s fiancé. The scene remains comedy gold, and now we can relive it in a new light thanks to this weekend’s SNL cold open. The two stars came together to do a political spin on the scene, with Stiller playing President Donald Trump’s personal attorney, Michael Cohen, with De Niro playing head of the Special Counsel into the Russia investigation, Robert Mueller.

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Stiller’s Cohen finds himself being hooked up to a lie detector as De Niro’s Mueller asks him questions about Trump. These questions include asking if Cohen paid porn star Stormy Daniels $130,000 to keep quiet about her sleeping with Trump, and if Trump knew about it. Cohen says no, causing the meter to spike, leading Cohen to say it was meant to be a surprise present for Stormy, “like a rock you throw through a window with a note tied to it that says ‘Stop talking.’” There is even a moment that refers to the milking of things with nipples, yet another reference to a classic PARENTS scene. God, I need to watch that movie now.