TORONTO – Is a sketch that appeared on last weekend’s Saturday Night Live a blatant rip-off of one featured months ago on Canadian comedy series This Hour Has 22 Minutes?
In the SNL sketch, Taran Killam plays the host of a Win, Lose of Draw-type show and Bobby Moynihan portrays a contestant asked to draw the Prophet Muhammad to win $1 million.
He refuses, despite the urging of teammates Kenan Thompson and Reese Witherspoon.
According to Islamic tradition, physical depictions of the Prophet Muhammad are considered blasphemous.
BELOW: Watch the SNL sketch.
The sketch is eerily similar to one that aired in January on CBC’s 22 Minutes in which Majumder played the game show host and Mark Critch was the contestant.
BELOW: Watch the 22 Minutes sketch.
In a statement, Michael Donovan of DHX Media, which produces 22 Minutes, said: “While imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, DHX Media Ltd. takes infringement of its intellectual property very seriously.”
Jeremy Woodcock, who wrote the 22 Minutes sketch, has not yet commented, but his colleague Bobby Kerr weighed in on Twitter.
On Monday, a CBC spokesperson told The Canadian Press that no one was available to comment on the similarities.
Critch, tweeted: “This has happened a few times both ways but this is the (closest) I’ve ever seen.”
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