Kamala Harris is torched for ‘cringeworthy’ and ‘historically bad’ pre-recorded Al Smith dinner video

Kamala Harris performed a bizarre, pre-recorded skit with a Saturday Night Live character instead of appearing at the Al Smith dinner.

The vice president was the first candidate in four decades to skip the Catholic election fundraiser, preferring to campaign in the swing state of Wisconsin.

Harris instead appeared on screen in a three-and-a-half-minute video with the help of SNL star Molly Shannon as her character Mary Katherine Gallagher.

The skit divided viewers, drawing cringe and scorn from even some of her supporters among Republicans, but others laughed at the jokes.

The vice president started in earnest, calling the dinner “a rare opportunity to put partisanship aside” before Gallagher interrupted her.

Dressed as a Catholic schoolgirl, she nervously shook hands with Harris, who explained that she was recording her speech.

“Oh yeah, I know, I just want to say I’m Catholic, and tonight is one of the biggest dinners besides the Last Supper,” said Gallagher.

Harris agreed: “It’s a very important dinner, and it’s an important tradition that I’m so proud to be a part of.”

She asked Gallagher if she had any advice for her speech, which opened up opportunities to make jokes at Donald Trump’s expense.

‘Don’t lie. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor,” Gallagher suggested.

“Indeed, especially your neighbor’s election results,” Harris responded, mocking Trump’s continued insistence that the 2020 election, which he lost, was “stolen.”

“Just to be sure, there will be a fact-checker there tonight,” Gallagher warned, referring to Trump’s running mate JD Vance who became irritated over moderators inviting him to his debate with Tim Walz.

Kamala Harris asked, “Who?” to which Gallagher quipped, “Jesus.”

Gallagher also suggested that Harris not make fun of Catholics at their own dinner.

‘I would never do that, no matter where I was. That would be like criticizing Detroit in Detroit,” Harris responded.

This joke was aimed at Trump insulting Detroit at a rally last week – while he was in Detroit.

“It’ll be like Detroit. Our whole country will end up looking like Detroit if she is your president. You’re going to have a mess on your hands,” he said.

Gallagher then asked, “Does it bother you that that Trump guy is constantly insulting you?” as he would a few minutes later.

“Oh, Mary Catherine, it is very important to always remember: you should never let anyone tell you who you are. Just tell me who you are,” Harris replied.

The pair then made some obvious Taylor Swift references.

“Remember one more thing: don’t worry if you make a mistake because Catholic people are very forgiving,” Gallagher said in a final piece of advice as she was finally dragged away by an aide.

“Thank you, Mamala,” she shouted on her screen.

Harris eventually began her actual speech two minutes and fifteen seconds into the video, leaving little more than a minute of her solo.

The vice president reiterated her call for bipartisanship and then praised the “tremendous work of charity of the Catholic Church.”

“In the spirit of tonight’s dinner, let us recommit to bridging divisions to seek understanding and common ground,” she said.

“And in honor of the great Al Smith, let us fight to build a better future with faith in God, our country and in each other.”

Harris critics and even some of her supporters were unimpressed by the video: “I thought the campaign couldn’t get any worse, and then I saw this,” one viewer wrote online.

Another added, “Her ‘funny’ choice to have Molly Shannon play the grossest character ever on SNL shocked me! NOT funny and not appropriate for that event. Kamala’s judgment is terrible. It was sad.’

A third wrote: ‘Kamala Harris has no sense of humor. She called it because there’s no way she could have pulled it off.”

Another viewer, who described herself as a Trump supporter, pointed out that Harris had had help presenting the video, unlike when she gave the speech.

“It strikes me that Kamala needed someone else as a crutch to make a simple video for the Al Smith Charity Dinner,” they wrote.

Former Trump adviser Jason Miller claimed Harris’ video was “historically bad” and Missouri Sen. Eric Schmitt called it a “mail-in attempt” that was “legit cringeworthy.”

Popular author John Pavlovitz was more complimentary.

“Wow, this video of Kamala and Molly Shannon made for the Al Smith Dinner is gold!” he wrote.

Another said: ‘I couldn’t love this more. Molly Shannon has always been hilarious, but add Kamala Harris to the mix and they’re Superstars!’

A third said: ‘Molly Shannon is a comedic genius and Kamala Harris playing her so easily is SO hard and she does it so naturally. Beautiful scene.’

Harris drew loud boos from the Al Smith dinner audience when host Jim Gaffigan announced she wouldn’t be there in person.

Gaffigan then took a number of jabs at Harris himself for not showing up, before handing the floor over to Trump for his speech.

“This is a room full of Catholics and Jews in New York, this should be a lineup for the Democratic candidate,” he joked.

“In her defense, she found time to appear on The View, Howard Stern, Colbert and the old campaign staple: the Call Her Daddy podcast.”

Gaffigan also made an impromptu joke about Harris’ video.

“As I watched that, I couldn’t help but think: Now I know how my kids felt when I FaceTimed a piano recital in front of them,” he said.