The Bear’s Ayo Edebiri confronts Nikki Haley during surprise SNL cameo

The Bear star Ayo Edebiri took a dig at Republican presidential hopeful Nikki Haley as the politician made a surprise appearance on  Saturday Night Live.

The rival to Donald Trump appeared on the US sketch show during a town hall sketch, in which she asked Trump, played by James Austin Johnson, her own question.

She asked: “Why won’t you debate Nikki Haley?”, referring to the former president’s refusal to participate in presidential debates ahead of the 2024 election.

Johnson’s Trump responded: “Oh my God. It’s her, the woman who was in charge of security on January 6. It’s Nancy Pelosi.”

Haley, a former ambassador to the UN, responded: “Are you doing OK, Donald? You might need a mental competency test.”

Johnson, as Trump replied: “You know what, I did. I took the test and I aced it, OK. Perfect score.

“They said I’m 100% mental and, you know, I’m competent because I’m a man.

“That’s why a woman should never run our economy. Women are terrible with money.”

Edebiri, who has won a string of awards for her turn as an up-and-coming chef on The Bear, was the guest host of the show and popped up at the end of the sketch to direct a pointed question at Haley.

She said: “I was just curious – what would you say was the main cause of the Civil War? And do you think it starts with an S and ends with a -lavery?”

Haley replied: “Yep, I probably should have said that the first time.”

At the time, she responded: “I think the cause of the Civil War was basically how government was going to run, the freedoms and what people could and couldn’t do.”

Her answer sparked immediate backlash for her failure to mention slavery.

Trump currently holds a large lead over Haley in her home state of South Carolina.

He is also leading President Joe Biden in a number of key states.

Last month Trump won the New Hampshire primary, bolstering the likelihood of a rematch later this year against President Biden.

Haley is the last major challenger in the race to be the Republican candidate after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis ended his presidential bid.