After her "raise the roof" State of the Union reaction went viral, a New Hampshire congresswoman says she was honored by her portrayal on Saturday Night Live.
Rep. Annie Kuster, who represents the state's 2nd Congressional District, found herself alongside a handful of other powerful women in politics being portrayed on the most recent SNL episode.
Comedian Aidy Bryant played "Rep. Annie 'Raise the Roof' Kuster." The name was inspired by Kuster's real-life reactions to the State of the Union address last week.
"We were celebrating gains for Democrats and women in Congress and for America," Kuster said in a FaceTime interview on Monday. "I understand it was from the 1990s, but apparently, that was the height of my cool."
The Democrat's "raise the roof" dance moves went viral on social media and then landed her a spot on the iconic late-night NBC show.
"It's a tremendous honor," Kuster said. "My kids were totally flabbergasted by the whole thing."
She says the best part about all the attention is that the skit has people talking.
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"It's funny, I think it's great," said Diana Destefano, who we met in Salem, New Hampshire. "We have a lot of women in Congress now with different ethnic backgrounds."
Kuster says it's given her the chance to put a modern spin on the old-school term.
"That whole expression, 'raise the roof,' means raising expectations, and fulfilling our goals and our dreams," Kuster said.
And she believes the SNL sketch is a salute to all of the record 102 women in congress.
"I'm super proud of all of my colleagues, men and women, but very excited that we have more women in the U.S. House of Representatives than ever before in history," Kuster said.
She notes many Democratic congresswomen were dressed in white during the State of the Union to bring attention to the centennial of women's suffrage and to celebrate the fact that, for the first time in history, there are more than 100 women in Congress.
