The 51st season premiere of “Saturday Night Live” faced renewed scrutiny regarding its political satire, especially its portrayal of the Trump administration. Yet, judging by the opening night, not much has changed. The show kicked off in its usual fashion, with cast member James Austin Johnson reprising his role as President Trump. This time, Trump dramatically interrupted Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s speech, issuing a clear warning to “S.N.L.”: “I’m keeping my eye on ‘S.N.L.,’ making sure they don’t do anything too mean about me,” he stated, adding a memorable reminder: “Daddy’s watching.”
For those needing a quick catch-up, the “S.N.L.” offseason saw several notable changes. The show bid farewell to five cast members, including seasoned talents like Heidi Gardner and Ego Nwodim. Simultaneously, it welcomed five new featured players, injecting fresh energy with additions such as comedian Kam Patterson and Ben Marshall, known for his work on the “Please Don’t Destroy” videos.
The season’s host, Bad Bunny, recently made headlines for being announced as the Super Bowl LX halftime show headliner. This news, however, didn’t sit well with some government officials, notably Kristi Noem, the Secretary of Homeland Security. She controversially declared that “ICE enforcement” would be “all over” the Super Bowl event, implying heightened scrutiny.
Meanwhile, the landscape of late-night comedy experienced an unexpected shake-up during the break. In July, CBS revealed that “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” would conclude its run next May, citing economic pressures. Adding to the volatility, Disney temporarily pulled “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” from ABC’s schedule in September, following a controversy over host Jimmy Kimmel’s comments about the tragic shooting of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk.
The opening sketch of “S.N.L.” deftly woven in some of these recent controversies. It featured “Weekend Update” co-anchor Colin Jost as Secretary Hegseth, delivering a provocative speech to U.S. military officers at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Northern Virginia. His lines included sharp jabs like, “Thanks to failed liberal policies, our Army has never been gayer. And yet, it’s also never been fatter. Make that make sense.”
[Video: James Austin Johnson as Trump interrupting Colin Jost’s speech]
Jost’s lecture was quickly upstaged by Johnson’s Trump, who warned “S.N.L.” to “be careful, because I know late-night TV like the back of my hand.” Demonstrating this, Johnson flipped his hand to reveal a visible, albeit disguised, bruise, quipping, “Not looking great right now. Oops! Don’t look at that. Gonna cover this up for the rest of my life.” He further cautioned “S.N.L.” to remain on its “best behavior,” lest it face his “attack dog,” F.C.C. chairman Brendan Carr (played by Mikey Day), who made a brief, boogieing entrance to Rockwell’s “Somebody’s Watching Me.”
As the 51st season commenced, Johnson’s Trump character mused that “S.N.L.” should have perhaps “called it at 50, right?” He lamented, “It’s so sad to see something get old and confused and yet still demand your constant attention,” concluding with a resigned “Oh well.”
[Video: A memorable sketch from the S.N.L. premiere]
Opening Monologue: Bad Bunny Takes the Stage
Bad Bunny, who last graced the “S.N.L.” stage as a musical guest in May, returned as the season premiere’s host, using his opening monologue to playfully touch upon his recent San Juan residency and the exciting news of his Super Bowl halftime show performance. “I’m very happy and I think everyone is happy about it,” he declared, adding with a wink, “Even Fox News.” He then treated the audience to a cleverly edited montage of Fox News hosts seemingly praising him, proclaiming, “Bad Bunny is my favorite musician and he should be the next president.”
Later, speaking passionately in Spanish, Bad Bunny expressed the immense pride his Super Bowl performance brings “to all the Latinos and Latinas in the whole world,” calling it an undeniable milestone. He concluded humorously, “And if you didn’t understand what I just said, you have four months to learn.”
[Video: Bad Bunny’s energetic opening monologue]
Star-Studded Surprises: Celebrity Cameos
The “S.N.L.” season premiere continued its beloved tradition of surprise celebrity cameos. Viewers were delighted to see Jon Hamm, appearing as himself (or perhaps his suave alter ego, Juan Jamón?) during Bad Bunny’s monologue and later returning for the night’s closing sketch. Benicio Del Toro made an unexpected appearance in a sketch humorously exploring the origins of the Spanish language in the year 900. Additionally, the vocal talents of singers Ejae, Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami were featured as the fictional girl group Huntr/x in a sketch inspired by the animated musical film “KPop Demon Hunters.”
[Video: Highlights of celebrity guest appearances]
Weekend Update Delivers Topical Humor
At the iconic “Weekend Update” desk, co-anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che didn’t shy away from lampooning the current government shutdown.
Jost opened with characteristic wit:
“This week the government finally represented the people when it just completely shut down. Honestly, didn’t it feel like the government kind of needed a break, just so we could all catch our breath? Can you believe we’re only nine months into this presidency? That means we still have three months and seven years remaining. I already tried fighting. I’m tired. I went to so many protests this summer. But honestly, it was worth it, because we finally got them to change the Cracker Barrel logo back to the original, featuring my actual grandpa. And I know it’s scary for a lot of people right now, but I’m trying to stay positive and I’m trying to remember the words of a great man: [A video clip of President Trump saying, ‘Nothing bad can happen. It can only good happen.’ was played.]”
Che then followed up with his own sharp commentary:
“The last time the U.S. government shut down was during President Trump’s first administration in 2018. Which was so long ago, we looked like this: [An image of ‘Stranger Things’ actors Gaten Matarazzo and Caleb McLaughlin at the Weekend Update desk was displayed.] President Trump claimed that one of the reasons the government shut down is because Democrats want ‘transgender for everybody.’ Which is obviously not true. But at the same time, I wouldn’t say no to my own set of these. [An image of Michael Che with exaggerated breast implants was shown.]”
[Video: Colin Jost and Michael Che’s Weekend Update segment]
Kam Patterson’s Bold Weekend Update Debut
New “S.N.L.” cast member Kam Patterson made a memorable “Weekend Update” debut by controversially asking Colin Jost if he could use a certain offensive word. “You want to say the n-word?” a surprised Jost inquired. Patterson, deadpan, retorted, “You mean the word I say in my act 150 times before my second joke? Yes.” Despite being informed of a potential $500,000 fine for uttering the word on air, Patterson pressed on, asserting, “Colin, I’m a stand-up comedian from Florida. Saying that word is what I do. Come on, bruh. This is exactly what Jimmy Kimmel fought for.”