U.S. women’s hockey star Hilary Knight delivered a pointed joke aimed at President Donald Trump during this weekend’s episode of Saturday Night Live, drawing attention as she appeared on stage alongside fellow Olympians.
Knight, a gold medal-winning forward for Team USA, joined actor Connor Storrie during his opening monologue. Storrie, who stars as Ilya Rozanov in the Crave network hockey drama Heated Rivalry, joked about having to learn the sport for his breakout television role.
Midway through the monologue, Storrie was joined by Team USA men’s hockey players Jack and Quinn Hughes. Moments later, U.S. women’s stars Hilary Knight and Megan Keller walked onto the stage. All four athletes wore Team USA jerseys with Olympic gold medals draped around their necks.
As she stepped forward, Knight delivered a line that many interpreted as a swipe at Trump.
“It was going to be just us, but we thought we’d invite the guys, too,” she said, referring to the Hughes brothers.
The comment appeared to reference a controversy that erupted after President Trump congratulated the U.S. men’s hockey team following their gold medal victory at the Winter Games in Milan, Italy. During a phone call celebrating the men’s win, Trump joked about having to “bring the women’s team” to the White House as well.
Critics seized on the remark, accusing the president of diminishing the women’s team. In the aftermath, reports indicated that the women’s team declined a formal White House invitation. The White House had extended the invitation following their gold medal performance.
Separately, the women’s team reportedly accepted an invitation to attend a “gold medal party” hosted by rapper Flava Flav.
Knight’s comment on Saturday Night Live quickly circulated on social media, fueling renewed debate over the White House controversy and the role of politics in sports celebrations.
