Actor Chris O'Dowd thinks he has a 'theory' when asked about a Saturday Night Live joke mocking Irish accents.
Presented by Wednesday star Jenna Ortega, the episode included a sketch which seemingly made fun of The Banshees of Inisherin leading men Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson, with the punchline being their Irish twang.
Watch it here:
Ortega's episode aired on March 11 — a day before the Academy Awards took place at the Dolby Theatre in LA — with the show's iconic cold open seeing comedians Heidi Gardner and Marcello Hernández mock-interview celebrities on the Oscars red carpet.
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Among their many interviewees was Farrell and Gleeson, who were both nominated for their performances as feuding friends Pádraic and Colm.
Impersonated by comedians Mikey Day and Molly Kearny respectively, SNL's Farrell and Gleeson proceeded to speak in an incomprehensible accent.
After their chat on the carpet with the presenters, Hernández jokes that the two actors 'haven't even started drinking yet'.
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The sketch was widely criticised online for using 'stupid, boring Irish stereotypes', with many calling the portrayal 'wildly offensive'.
Even Colin Farrell appeared to make a reference to the sketch on Sunday (12 March) when answering a fan question that said they loved his performance in The Banshees of Inisherin but couldn't understand what he was saying.
The In Bruges star then replied: "Watch SNL from last night."
UNILAD has reached out to NBC Entertainment for comment.
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A week after the skit made the air, O'Dowd weighed in on the controversy when asked by Metro what he thought of it, jokingly taking aim at SNL writers.
He said that he hadn't managed to see it yet as he was at the SXSW Festival, but had heard that it wasn't 'great'.
"I can't share any thoughts on it because I haven’t watched it. I will do," the IT Crowd star told Metro.
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"I know most of the SNL writers are recruited from Harvard, so maybe they just don't come across Irish guys very often," he added.
However, O'Dowd, who is starring in Apple TV's upcoming drama, The Big Door, insisted that he has never had any issue living and working in the US.
"I have found, if I'm honest with you, working in Hollywood has been it's been grand. Being Irish has been nothing but helpful and useful," he said.
"I think that living in America for 10 years, I've had nothing but positivity about being Irish. I've had no problems with people understanding me."
Topics: Saturday Night Live, Film and TV
Stefania Sarrubba