It’s an attempt at infectious humor.
“Saturday Night Live” tried coughing up some COVID-19-related yuks at the expense of former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is believed to be eyeing a political comeback as the Big Apple’s next mayor.
“Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is reportedly already interested in running for mayor. Damn, he moves faster than COVID through a nursing home,” comedian Michael Che ribbed on SNL’s “Weekend Update.”
As The Post reported Saturday, Cuomo, 66, is telling close confidantes he intends to run for the mayor’s office if Hizzoner Eric Adams resigns or gets booted while battling a criminal indictment involving an alleged pay-for-play scheme.
Cuomo was forced from office himself after facing sexual misconduct allegations in 2021. The former governor has denied any serious wrongdoing.
Adams, 64, was indicted in his own explosive case Tuesday, and the charges could land him up to 45 years behind bars. He is facing federal bribery, conspiracy and wire fraud raps over allegations he accepted gifts from a foreign government, Turkey, in exchange for favors.
“SNL” poked fun at Adams, too, with comedian Devon Walker portraying Hizzoner.
“Do I look guilty to you?” the pretend Adams quipped before getting asked about why he was involved with Turkey.
“Have you ever had a Turkish delight? It’s a briefcase with $100,000 in it,” he said.
The scandal-scarred mayor has denied wrongdoing in the case, contending that he is the victim of a political hit job related to him bucking the White House on the border crisis.
As for Cuomo, in addition to his sexual harass scandal, he was mired in controversy over revelations that his administration dramatically understated the state’s COVID-19 nursing home deaths under his watch.
He had previously ordered the nursing homes to accept patients with COVID-19, mixing them with one of the populations most vulnerable to the deadly virus.
The former Empire State governor recently denied to a congressional panel that he had any memory of the now-infamous state Health Department report dramatically underestimating the state’s COVID-19 nursing home deaths.
But emails and other documents showed Cuomo’s aides communicating about the governor’s own edits to the report.
Rumors of him eyeing a political comeback have long swirled. The next New York City mayoral election will take place in 2025, although there is talk about a potential special election if Adams resigns or is booted.
“Governor Cuomo has spent a lifetime in public service fighting and delivering for the people of New York and will do whatever he can to help,” longtime Cuomo spokesman Rich Azzopardi has previously told The Post. “That said, the speculation is premature as Governor Cuomo believes Mayor Adams is entitled to due process.”
Meanwhile, shortly after the indictment against Adams, Andrew Cuomo’s brother Chris, who hosts an eponymous program on NewsNation, warned against jumping to conclusions on the mayor’s indictment.
“Why are his party members acting like he confessed? They have to know that an indictment … only needs probable cause,” the younger Cuomo said late last week, before explaining the grand jury process.
“I’m not saying Adams didn’t do it. I don’t know,” he said.
The younger Cuomo also briefly alluded to how the Democratic Party hastily turned against his brother in 2021 over misconduct allegations.
