Hit NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live continues to tiptoe around making jokes about New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel's alleged affair with reporter DIanna Russini
16:55 ET, 11 May 2026
SNL
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Matt Damon hosted Saturday Night Live last weekend for the third time
Over a month has passed since the initial photos of longtime NFL journalist Dianna Russini and New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel at an adults-only Arizona resort leaked to the press.
Since then, a trail. of further photos — from a bar in New York in 2020, from a casino in Mississippi in 2021, and on a private boat in Tennessee in 2021 — have added further fuel to the fire regarding the nature of Russini and Vrabel's relationship.
The story has trickled from the sports space into the news verse, but that doesn't mean NBC's hit sketch show 'Saturday Night Live' has decided to cover the incident quite yet. Another clip, meanwhile, revealed 'kissing' advice between the pair before the scandal.
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"Not one joke from SNL about the Vrabel - Russini scandal that’s been going on for 4+ weeks?" one user tweeted on X. Others agreed. "Hey you chicken-----, how bout a skit on the Vrabel / Russini fiasco? It's been a month!" a different poster wrote.
SNL has aired three shows since the initial batch of photos on April 7: an April 11 production with Colman Domingo and Anitta, a May 2 show with Olivia Rodrigo, and a May 9 performance with Matt Damon and Noah Kahan.
Some posited in the comment section of the initial viral tweet that NBC, a longtime rightsholder of the NFL and the current network of 'Sunday Night Football,' is afraid to mock the league that the network relies on for profit.
"Wonder why? NBC holds a major 11-year NFL media rights deal (2023–2033) valued at approximately $2 billion annually, primarily for broadcasting 'Sunday Night Football.'" one used laid out.
Mike Vrabel
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Mike Vrabel has returned to the Patriots after a brief absense(Image: Getty Images)
"The contract includes streaming rights on Peacock, Super Bowl rotations, and features an opt-out window after the 2029-2030 season."
Another had a similar theory. "Wait until you figure out why the Media that takes in billions from pharmaceutical companies doesn't report negatively on them either," they wrote.
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Other fans posited that the Vrabel-Russini story may be far more concentrated in an NFL-only bubble and lack national appeal. I respectfully disagree here, but I will again make the point that I don’t think this is really a story anyone really cares about outside of the Bills, NYJ & Eagles fan bases. It’s interesting from a gossip perspective, but that is about it," one wrote.
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Another agreed. "As a national news story, it's really not high profile enough to make it into SNL. Only football fans know about it," they said.
SNL will return on May 16 with host Will Ferrell and musical guest Paul McCartney.