AL Gore’s foray into late-night TV proved to be more popular than, well, his run for the presidency.
Gore’s hosting of last weekend’s “Saturday Night Live” helped the show notch its best ratings of the season.
The Gore-hosted show, which featured musical guests Phish, averaged a 7.6 in the country’s top markets – and was the night’s top-rated program, including all of prime time.
Here in New York, “SNL” pulled a whopping 7.9 (577,000 households) on Ch. 4 – far and away the show’s best numbers of the season locally.
The show seemed to benefit from a relaxed Gore, who threw caution to the wind in appearing in a number of skits the night before annoucing he wouldn’t run for president in 2004.
In one skit, Gore spoofed embattled GOP Sen. Trent Lott, who’s come under fire for making statements seeming to be pro-segregationist in nature.
In another skit, a takeoff of “The Bachelor,” Gore lampooned his selection of a running mate in the 2000 elections.
Final numbers will be available tomorrow.