'SNL' took on the inappropriate touching allegations against Joe Biden

Associated Press/Nati Harnik

Former Vice President Joe Biden speaks at the Chuck Hagel Forum in Global Leadership, on the campus of the University of Nebraska-Omaha, in Omaha, Neb., Thursday, Feb. 28, 2019.

• "Saturday Night Live" took aim at the multiple allegations of inappropriate touching against former Vice President Joe Biden.
• Veteran cast member Jason Sudeikis returned to the show to play Biden and ignored a lesson on appropriately greeting women from Kate McKinnon.
• The sketch came a day after Biden made his first public appearance after the allegations, during which he joked about getting permission to hug and touch people.
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"Saturday Night Live" took on the multiple allegations against former Vice President Joe Biden from women who said he touched them inappropriately with a sketch depicting an unsuccessful interaction workshop.

Over the course of a week, seven women have publicly said that Biden inappropriately touched them and invaded their personal space during various campaign events and other public appearances in past years.

Veteran cast member Jason Sudeikis returned as Biden, who was counseled by aides played by the show's Cecily Strong and Kenan Thompson.

"Joe's a good guy and he means well, he's just a little behind the times," Strong said.

Thompson agreed, adding that the allegations must be "tearing him up inside," before Sudeikis burst in the door and closely hugged them both.

"I'm a hugger, I'm a kisser and I'm a little bit of a sniffer," Sudeikis' Biden said after Strong confronted him about his behavior. "The last thing I want to do is offend anyone!"

Sudeikis' Biden then pulled cast member Kate McKinnon, appearing as a consultant arriving for a lesson, close so their noses touched for a "human connection."

Screenshot via NBC

"Ideally, when you meet a female stranger for the first time, there would be no kisses or hugs of any kind," McKinnon said, face-to-face with Sudeikis.

"But that's the human connection. That's my whole thing," Sudeikis said.

That was the same phrase Biden used in a video released Wednesday, where he acknowledged and explained his conduct, saying he had "always tried to make a human connection."

"That's my responsibility, I think," Biden said in the video. "I shake hands. I hug people. I grab men and women by the shoulders and say 'you can do this.' Whether they're women, men, young, old, it's the way I've always been. The way I've tried to show I care about them and I'm listening."

Read more: More women have come forward accusing Joe Biden of uncomfortable physical contact, bringing the total to 7

After several minutes of discussion that included McKinnon warning Sudeikis to not tickle a woman's palm during a handshake, McKinnon's consultant asked Sudeikis' Biden if he understood the points she's made.

"Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean, not really, no," he responds. "The important thing is I'm listening, I hear you and I feel you, I feel you. Let's hug it out America. 'Biden and some woman in 2020' Right? We can do this!"

The sketch came just a day after Biden made his first appearance since the allegations at a conference in Washington, DC, during which he made multiple jokes about being allowed to touch and hug those near him during the event.

Though Biden has been receptive to the allegations and subsequent criticism, he's been defensive about his behavior.

"In my many years on the campaign trail and in public life, I have offered countless handshakes, hugs, expressions of affection, support and comfort," Biden said in a statement after the initial allegation from a Nevada state politician. "And not once - never - did I believe I acted inappropriately. If it is suggested I did so, I will listen respectfully. But it was never my intention."

Watch the full 'SNL' sketch below: