On the momentous occasion of “Saturday Night Live’s” 50th anniversary, the iconic sketch comedy show treated viewers to a nostalgic and uproarious opening sketch starring former cast members Amy Poehler and Tina Fey.
Poehler, who also hosted the celebratory episode, reprised her role as Attorney General Pam Bondi in a sketch hilariously mocking actual Senate Judiciary Committee testimony. Adding to the surprise, Tina Fey made a special appearance as Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
Kicking off her “testimony” with a classic Poehler flair, she greeted the committee with, “What’s up, nerds? Furious to be here.” When asked to affirm that her testimony would be nothing but the truth, Poehler scoffed with a dismissive laugh and simply replied, “No.”
She playfully explained her character’s surname, “Bondi, with an ‘I,’ ’cause I ain’t gonna answer any questions.” She then quipped that the Justice Department had numerous ongoing operations “moving like Kash Patel’s eyeballs, very quickly in multiple directions at once.”
Poehler didn’t shy away from roasting other Senate members, including Connecticut Democrat Senator Richard Blumenthal (portrayed by Mikey Day). “Even people in Connecticut go ‘damn, that guy’s white as hell,'” she joked.
When questioned about the necessity of U.S. troops protecting Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities, Poehler deferred to Noem, who burst into the hearing dramatically, armed with a large automatic weapon. “Hold my gun,” Fey’s character declared, tossing it off-camera.
Fey, as Kristi Noem, explained her name spelling: “with an ‘I,’ ’cause that’s how I thought it was spelled.” She further boasted about being “the rarest type of person in Washington, D.C., — a brunette that Donald Trump listens to.”
When Day’s character suggested Democrats were more eager to end the government shutdown than Republicans, Fey retorted, “Ha, that makes me laugh more than the end of ‘Old Yeller.'”
“When the dog gets shot?” Day asked, genuinely horrified.
She coolly responded, “Dogs don’t just get shot. Heroes shoot them.”
After Fey delivered an impromptu recruitment ad for ICE — (“Do you like to use zip ties because people in your life don’t trust you with keys?”) — Poehler turned to the committee, asking, “Does that answer your question?”
Jeremy Culhane, playing Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, Democrat of Rhode Island, replied, “No. Not even a little bit.”
“Then our work here is done,” Poehler concluded.
Opening Monologue Highlights
Returning as host for the first time since 2015 (when she shared duties with Fey), Poehler reminisced about her early days on “S.N.L.” She revealed that the show was where she discovered her “first love: Being famous.” She humorously added, “I’m still on some of the amazing medications they put me on, so I will be forever grateful.”
Poehler shared her childhood dream of becoming an actress while watching “S.N.L.,” a dream she joked would last “at least until they invent an A.I. actress who’s funnier and willing to do full frontal.” She noted that reaching 50 brings a unique freedom: “you start to not care about what people think.”
“And that’s what’s so great about ‘S.N.L.,'” Poehler observed. “She’s obviously stopped caring.”
Best Commercial Parodies
Aubrey Plaza, Poehler’s former co-star from NBC’s “Parks and Recreation,” made a special appearance in a mock trailer for a new season of the steamy Netflix drama “The Hunting Wives.” The parody featured everyone freely seducing and making out until Plaza’s character revealed a girlfriend, prompting the other wives to pull out their guns.
For fans of classic “S.N.L.” product spoofs, there was also the hilarious fake commercial for Non-Non-Alcoholic Beer, touted as “the first non-alcoholic beverage that’s over 96 percent alcohol.” Cheers!
Weekend Update’s Sharpest Jokes
At the iconic Weekend Update desk, anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che continued their sharp commentary, this time focusing on the Gaza cease-fire deal.
Jost kicked things off:
It is nice to start Update with some good news, for once. There is peace in the Middle East. The only downside is, there’s war in Chicago. Only Trump could “Freaky Friday” Chicago and Gaza. And I know Trump is upset that he didn’t win the Nobel Peace Prize. But the last guy to send heavily armed men into an American city was Bane from Batman. Bane, who was also snubbed for the Peace Prize. And Trump deserves credit, I have to say, for brokering the cease-fire in Gaza. But I’m slightly skeptical since Biden also negotiated a cease-fire in Gaza nine months ago. Remember that? No? Well, neither does Biden. The actual Nobel Peace Prize was awarded this week to Venezuela opposition leader María Corina Machado. Or as Fox News reported it, “Trump Robbed By Deranged Hispanic.”
Che followed with his take:
Many leaders in the Middle East are crediting President Trump with brokering the Israel-Hamas cease-fire. But it makes perfect sense to me. Because sometimes crazy people only listen to other crazy people. Like when you see a guy jacking it on the subway, you don’t just ask him to stop. No, you’ve got to take off your pants, too, and now we can negotiate.
Weekend Update’s Star Guests
Although “S.N.L.” had already pulled out many celebrity stops for its earlier anniversary celebrations, the actual 50th-anniversary night still featured a few more stars. Pop singer Charli XCX (a previous host and musical guest) joined Role Model on stage for his performance of “Sally, When the Wine Runs Out.”
The show also welcomed back former Weekend Update anchors Amy Poehler, Tina Fey, and Seth Meyers (currently hosting NBC’s “Late Night”) to their old desk. They engaged in a rapid-fire “joke-off” with current anchors Jost and Che, trading punchlines about a woman in Tennessee who gave birth to a 13-pound baby. Highlights included:
POEHLER: The baby “was so big, he slapped the doctor on his ass.”
FEY: “and the new baby’s name is ‘Ahhhhhhhhh!’”
MEYERS: “Damn, did she give birth to it or did it drive out?”
CHE: “The second the baby was out, the woman zipped around the room like a deflated balloon.”
JOST: “The baby’s nickname is Magician because it basically sawed his mother in half.”