Alec Baldwin returns to SNL as Donald Trump and Bill O'Reilly

Alec Baldwin marked his return to Saturday Night Live by tackling both Fox News host Bill O'Reilly and US President Donald Trump, as the show also addressed the controversy surrounding the Kendall Jenner Pepsi advert in brutally satirical fashion.

The Baby Boss actor, 56, starred in a parody of The O'Reilly Factor, amid the sexual harassment storm surrounding its namesake host.

Opening the segment, Baldwin's O'Reilly promised to comment on "the scandal everyone's been talking about all week, a scandal no one thought I'd have the guts to address head-on, about the shocking allegations of abuse of power" only to switch focus to unsubstantiated claims "that have been levelled against the Obama administration" in a jab at the alleged conservative bias of the network.

The sketch then directly targeted reports by The New York Times that payouts totalling $13m (£10.3m) had been made to at least five women over O'Reilly's conduct.

As part of the settlement agreements, funded by both the 67-year-old himself and his employer, 21st Century Fox, the five claimants agreed not to take their cases to court.

In an interview between Baldwin's O'Reilly and Fox's investigative reporter Malia Zimmerman (played by SNL cast member Cecily Strong), working on the Susan Rice "unmasking" story, the exchange parodies notions of consent.

Despite Zimmerman's assurances that Rice refuted the claims, the impersonated O'Reilly continued to press: "OK," he said, "but when she said no, what was her vibe?

"Like when she said no, did her eyes say yes?" he explained. "Sometimes they'll do that."

The satirical eye then focused on news that advertisers have begun to pull commercials from the show over the scandal – suggesting only products called Dog Cocaine, horse aphrodisiac Eliquis, and the heavily criticised film CHiPs, lambasted for its poor, offensive humour – were happy to be associated with the show.

In a final scene, Baldwin featured in a split-screen interview between his O'Reilly and caricature of President Trump. The sketch referenced the Republican's leader's support for O'Reilly over the allegations – described in the sketch as revelations, "I gave women lots of opportunities at Fox".

"I actually see a lot of myself in you, Bill," claimed the Trump impersonation.

The O'Reilly character answered, "That's based upon?"

To which the show's Trump replied, "A hunch, just a loose hunch."

"I'm more familiar with this case than I am with, say, health care," he added. "But I didn't really look into it much, no. I was too busy being too presidential, by bombing a bunch of [expletive]"

Baldwin's O'Reilly finished by thanking his Trump his time and efforts to help promote sexual assault awareness month.

"That's all right" said the mock Trump, "it's a subject close to my hand."

Kendall Jenner ridiculed over Pepsi advert

SNL also reflected the controversy over Jenner's appearance in a disastrous Pepsi advertising campaign. The TV advert was quickly pulled following a wave of criticism that it trivialised the protest movement Black Lives Matter and American police shootings of unarmed African-Americans.

Beck Bennett played the creator and director of the ill-fated commercial, passionately discussing the idea of Jenner, 21, creating peace by giving police a Pepsi, only to be told that it is a terrible idea.

However, with production underway and no time for the concept to be changed, Jenner (Cecily Strong) is seen boasting over the phone to a friend: "I stop the police from shooting black people by giving them a Pepsi – I know, it's cute, right!"