Al Sharpton Urges Sarah Palin to Run for President in 2016; She Asks How Much SNL Creator Lorne Michaels Will Pay Her
Civil rights activist and Baptist minister Al Sharpton said he urged 2008 GOP vice presidential candidate and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to make a run for president in 2016 to "help the Democrats out."
What she'd like to know first, however, is how much "Saturday Night Live" creator Lorne Michaels would be willing to pay her.
Just last month, Palin told The Washington Post that she's "seriously interested" in running for president in 2016.
On Sunday night at the "Saturday Night Live" 40th anniversary special where she was hobnobbing with a slew of celebrities, she took the opportunity to make light of her ambitions, including a chat with polar opposite Sharpton on the red carpet at the event.
"I saw Sarah Palin on the red carpet and we talked to Xtra together. I urged her to run in 2016 and help the Democrats out," tweeted Sharpton Sunday night after sharing a photo of himself and Palin together.
I saw Sarah Palin on the red carpet and we talked to Xtra together. I urged her to run in 2016 and help the Democrats out.
— Reverend Al Sharpton (@TheRevAl) February 16, 2015
The jocular spirit around Palin's potential run continued during a question-and-answer segment of the special hosted by Jerry Seinfeld who wittingly identifies Palin as comedian Tina Fey who famously and frequently parodied the Alaskan politician during the 2008 presidential campaign.
"No, it's Sarah, Sarah Palin," she quickly corrects Seinfeld.
She then quipped: "Just curious, Jerry, how much do you think [SNL creator] Lorne Michaels would pay me if I were to run in 2016?"
"Run for president?" replied Seinfeld. "Sarah, I don't think there's a number too big."
On the red carpet with Sarah Palin at the 40th anniversary of Saturday Night Live #SNL40pic.twitter.com/dzYD4gdRwD
— Reverend Al Sharpton (@TheRevAl) February 16, 2015
During an interview with ABC News last month, Palin described herself as having a "servant's heart" in expressing her interest in the presidency. She also noted that she has "had enough" of seeing a "sign on the Oval Office door saying, 'No Girls Allowed.'"
"Of course, when you have a servant's heart, when you know that there is opportunity to do all you can to put yourself forward in the name of offering service, anybody would be interested," she explained.
When later asked about her presidential ambitions by The Washington Post she said: "You can absolutely say that I am seriously interested. … As I said yesterday, I'm really interested in the opportunity to serve at some point."