Phil Hartman Played a Bribing Billionaire with a Faulty-Math Issue in SNL's Tax Ads
The two-part 1990 sketch also includes a rare moment in which the cast member nearly broke character reacting to something offscreen.
A billionaire promised financial rewards to members of the general public in hopes of influencing the U.S government — and that same billionaire made whopping math errors that rendered his plan less than brilliant. No, this isn't a story ripped from today's headlines, familiar as it may sound; it's actually the premise of two Saturday Night Live sketches from 1990, starring beloved cast member Phil Hartman.
In the "Tax Ad" sketches from Season 16, Hartman plays Sam Walton, the real-life founder of the Walmart chain of superstores. Sam Walton was the richest man in America from 1985 to 1990, and the Walton family remains the wealthiest clan in the United States, thanks in part to a tax benefit leveraged by the patriarch himself. But in "Tax Ad #1," Hartman's Walton proposed another way to avoid paying up on April 15: Getting regular folks involved (for a price).
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Phil Hartman played Walmart's Sam Walton in SNL's tax day sketch
During the October 27, 1990 episode — also notable for producing Host Patrick Swayze's breakout "Chippendales" sketch with Chris Farley and for marking Mariah Carey's debut as an SNL Musical Guest — Hartman first appeared as Walton in "Tax Day #1" with a plea.
"Did you know there's a lot of talk in Washington about raising taxes on the so-called super-rich? As you can imagine, that idea doesn't sit to well with me," Hartman told the camera, wearing a cowboy hat and a bolo as Walton. "So here's my offer: If you write your congressman and tell him you oppose this tax plan, I'll pay you $100,000."
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"Now, I know some of you are wondering how it could be in my interest to pay the 130 million American voters $100,000 apiece, just to avoid a three percent tax hike?" he continued. "Well, you let me worry about that."
As it turns out, he didn't worry about it enough. In "Tax Ad #2" later in the show, Walton returned to retract his initial offer.
"Hi I'm Sam Walton. Earlier this evening, I went on national television and made an offer to pay every American who'd oppose a tax hike on the wealthy $100,000 cash," he said. "Well apparently, my math isn't what it used to be!" Oops.
"Turns out there's no way on God's green earth it makes sense to pay that kind of money," he explained, before introducing a new proposal: write your congressman, "send me a copy, then I'll put it in a barrel. Then on the day the tax increase is defeated, I'll draw an envelope from that barrel and the winner will receive...a hat like the one I'm wearing now."
As Hartman neared the end of his scene, there was a loud crash out of frame that nearly threw the famously unshakeable performer for a loop. But after doing a double take, Hartman kept his famous cool, drawing applause with an understated, "thank you," in response.
Watch the "Tax Ads" sketches from Season 16, Episode 4 above, and stream every season of Saturday Night Live on Peacock anytime.
Phil Hartman was known for many impressions on SNL
During his time as an SNL cast member from 1986-1994, Phil Hartman tried his hand at dozens upon dozens of celebrity impersonations. His most famous include Bill Clinton, Frank Sinatra, Ronald Reagan, Ed McMahon, and Donald Trump.
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