Mike Myers attends the 49th AFI Life Achievement Award Tribute Gala honoring actor Nicole Kidman at Dolby Theatre, in Los Angeles, April 27, 2024.Mario Anzuoni/Reuters
Canadian comedian Mike Myers is garnering widespread attention for defending his country of birth by taking a sartorial swipe at U.S. President Donald Trump over his repeated musings about annexing Canada.
Mr. Myers, 61, made a guest appearance on Saturday Night Live over the weekend and sported a T-shirt bearing the slogan “Canada is not for sale” at the end of the show. Standing on stage beside host Shane Gillis, Mr. Myers repeatedly pointed at his shirt, which was also emblazoned with a Canadian flag.
“Elbows up,” Mr. Myers said, gesticulating as the closing credits started to roll.
The Scarborough, Ont.-born comic’s move was an apparent jab at Mr. Trump, who has repeatedly talked about using economic coercion to put pressure on Canada to become the “51st state” – manifest-destiny machinations that are tied to the U.S. President’s threats of launching a trade war.
Mr. Myers’s political statement was picked up by media outlets in North America, Europe and as far away as India.
Earlier in the episode, Mr. Myers participated in a sketch about last week’s heated exchange between Mr. Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office. As part of the skit, Mr. Myers played a chainsaw-wielding Elon Musk, who interrupts the presidential meeting – a portrayal that poked fun at the Tesla CEO and presidential adviser for his real-life antics by characterizing him as an automaton villain.
Mr. Musk, who holds Canadian citizenship, is spearheading the Trump administration’s cost-cutting efforts as part of the Department of Government Efficiency. Last month, Mr. Musk waved a chainsaw on stage at a political conference, which generated much controversy.
“Mike Myers playing Elon Musk on SNL and then busting out a CANADA IS NOT FOR SALE SHIRT at the end of the show is exactly the energy we need right now,” wrote Catherine McKenna, a former federal cabinet minister, in a post on X.
The comic is being praised for his actions as hockey legend Wayne Gretzky faces a backlash across Canada for his association with Mr. Trump and his lack of visible support for the Canadian team in the 4 Nations hockey final against the United States.
Mr. Myers, who was a cast member on SNL from 1989 to 1995, is the latest homegrown celebrity to mount a show of patriotism in response to Mr. Trump’s attacks on Canada. Star Trek actor William Shatner has poked fun at Mr. Trump’s tariff threats on X, while singer Chantal Kreviazuk crooned a modified version of O Canada to protest Mr. Trump’s annexation threats at the 4 Nations Face-Off.
“There’s nobody more Canadian than a Canadian who no longer lives in Canada,” Mr. Myers said in a 2016 interview with the CBC about his book entitled Canada. “A lot of my friends in America accuse me of enjoying being Canadian. And I go ‘I do enjoy being Canadian. What’s not to enjoy?’”
