SNL UK takes aim at Ed Sheeran with AI Princess Diana sketch

Ed Sheeran has been facing backlash following the removal of Macklemore from the remaining US dates of his Loop Tour. Now, the singer has become the subject of a new joke on SNL UK, using an absurd human-versus-AI conflict involving a fictional AI version of Princess Diana to poke fun at his response to the controversy.

SNL UK reference of King Charles over soon forgetting Princess Diana

The latest SNL UK cold open brought together three very different subjects dominating recent headlines — artificial intelligence, the British royal family and Ed Sheeran’s ongoing tour controversy. The sketch, which aired on September 19, opened at Buckingham Palace with Larry Dean’s King Charles meeting technology executives to discuss the risks and possibilities of AI. The executives then introduced him to D.I.A.N.A., short for “Deeply Intelligent Autonomous Neurokinetic Android".

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“You must be the tech billionaires. Make it brief. I hate talking to people richer than myself,” Dean’s version of the King told AI executives, played by cast members Celeste Dring and Freddie Meredith. Dring’s tech exec then told the monarch that “an AI assistant will do anything you ask it to,” and the monarch replied, “So what? So does every single human I have ever met."

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“Well, perhaps a demonstration,” Meredith’s exec then proposed. “Your Majesty, please say hello to your new AI assistant, the deeply intelligent autonomous neurokinetic android — or for short, D.I.A.N.A.” Enter Shep’s “Revenge Dress”-wearing take on Diana, who became a fan-favorite impression following the character’s inaugural appearance in the SNL UK premiere in March. “Hello, Charles. Would you like help with a five-step business plan? Or perhaps I could help you find the nearest petrol station?” asked the chatbot resembling the late Princess of Wales.

“Good lord. We’ve lost control of the D.I.A.N.A.,” one of the tech execs then declared, as the King said, “This was the problem last time!” “Good God. As I predicted, the war between robots and humans has begun. We must do everything we can to resist,” Charles said. Enter the final subject of the cold open’s mockery, Sheeran, who chimed in to say, “Or maybe we shouldn’t.”

SNL UK mocks Ed Sheeran over recent Macklemore controversy

The sketch continued to take aim at Sheeran, and specifically the “Shape of You” singer’s response following Macklemore’s removal from his Loop Tour, which in part saw him state that “there is a reason I do not use my professional platform for politics.”

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The joke was aimed at Sheeran's recent comments following the controversy over Macklemore being removed from the remaining US dates of Sheeran's Loop Tour. Sheeran has said that the decision was made by the promoter and not by him, while also explaining that he did not want his concerts to become political forums. In the sketch, Sheeran's character says he does not want to alienate either human or robot fans. The comedy then pushes his neutrality to an exaggerated extreme, with the character suggesting that remaining silent can sometimes be the safest approach.

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“Thing is, Your Majesty, I don’t like to take sides,” Marlow’s Sheeran said in the Sept. 19 cold open. “I don’t want to alienate any of my fans, humans or robots. A lot of my tickets are bought by scalping bots. You know, sometimes when it comes to conflicts, the bravest thing you can do is to say nothing at all.”