Fans and viewers of ‘Saturday Night Live’ are starting to grow suspicious after another week passed by without the show referencing the Mike Vrabel and Dianna Russini saga.
On the surface, it seems the perfect story for the sketch comedy show. Married New England Patriots coach Vrabel was pictured in early April appearing intimate with also married reporter Russini, then the NFL Insider for the New York Times-owned Athletic, at an adults-only resort in Arizona.
They both adamantly denied an affair but Russini eventually resigned from the publication while Vrabel has gone to counseling and vowed to improve his image for both his family and for the Patriots.
Since then, there have been a string of revelations seemingly linking them as far back as 2020. But as the scandal plays out, the incident has remained untouched by SNL and now it seems that the football fans who watch the show are starting to notice – as well as thinking they might know why.
‘I’ve been watching the past 2 weeks to see if they’d make a mention on Weekend Update – it’s worth at least a couple minute joke and it’d be funny and nothing – and of course realized NBC Sunday Night Football,’ one viewer, Patrick Makin, explained on X.
He continued, replying to a follower who disagreed with him: ‘You don’t find it extremely odd that the national media has been mostly silent on this? That SNL has not made a joke on something so relevant and so available for something really funny?’
SNL fans are wondering why the show hasn’t touched on the Mike Vrabel-Dianna Russini saga
There was again no mention on this weekend’s show, hosted by Hollywood star Matt Damon
As he referenced on his first post, SNL is broadcast on NBC which also has a lucrative deal with the NFL for Sunday night games, worth around $2billion each year.
It seems that some fans think that might be why SNL has left the story alone.
Makin’s post saw plenty of X users agree with his stance on SNL covering the topic.
One responded: ‘They could have easily gone after the low hanging fruit of “just friends” interlocking fingers like everyone was joking about weeks ago.’
Another said: ‘Yeah I was definitely shocked about this I expected it to at least be on Weekend Update.’
The online debate comes as another flirty video of the pair surfaced online.
The latest clip is from a Barstool podcast episode in which Vrabel and Russini are pitted against each other in a Family Feud-style game.
In it, Russini – who appears to be sitting on her bed – is asked: ‘Tell me something a man might do to get a woman in the mood.’
Russini and husband Kevin Goldschmidt were married in New Jersey in September 2020
Vrabel has been married to his wife, Jen, for over two decades and they have two children
Without hesitation, she replies, ‘Kiss her! This is good advice for you guys.’
Vrabel then weighs in out of nowhere to respond: ‘I’m paying very close attention. I’m so excited.’
While there was no reason for anyone on the call – or for viewers watching at home – to think anything untoward of the comment, the revelations of the past few weeks have given the comments a different context.
Earlier in the week, a separate clip from the same interview also went viral, after Russini made a wild comment about having sex with her husband.
The interview is believed to have been filmed in April 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and Russini and Vrabel are on the Zoom call but seemingly in separate locations.
Russini was asked to name ‘something you close your eyes to do?’
The NFL insider then bizarrely responded: ‘When you have sex with your husband or wife.’
As for SNL, the latest show was hosted by Matt Damon with Noah Kahan the musical guest.
This coming weekend, May 16, is the season finale featuring Will Ferrell as host and Paul McCartney the performer.
