Former Ward 5 Councilmember Harry Thomas Jr. made a kind of guest appearance on Saturday Night Live this weekend when a Weekend Update commentator played by Fred Armisen propped up a copy of Saturday’s issue of the Post, which splashed on page A1 a large photo of Thomas leaving U.S. District Court after pleading guilty to embezzlement and tax fraud charges.

Armisen, portraying the painfully dry political commentator Nicholas Fehn, held up the Post to riff on a story about potential pay increases for federal employees, but Thomas’ bowed head was clearly visible for several seconds.

Mayor Vince Gray is quite keen on courting the television industry’s attention toward the District, even going so far as to suggest a series about the fight for D.C. statehood last month. (For the record, Thomas is apparently something of a Hollywood buff himself.) But of the District-specific topics that could wind up on scripted television, the troubles of the D.C. Council probably aren’t what the mayor had in mind.

Still, accidental exposure is good exposure, right?