It was a classic Saturday night at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, but the laughter echoed far beyond the studio walls. On October 11, 2025, Saturday Night Live delivered a cold open that quickly became the talk of both political and entertainment circles. Amy Poehler, returning to the famed stage, donned the persona of Attorney General Pam Bondi, while her longtime comedic partner Tina Fey took on the role of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. The result? A biting, hilarious, and surprisingly impactful parody that lampooned recent political events—and even drew responses from the real-life figures involved.
The sketch zeroed in on Bondi’s recent appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee, a hearing that had already generated headlines for its contentious tone. According to USA Today, Poehler’s Bondi was depicted as combative and openly insulting to lawmakers, wielding a list of “roast-style burns” instead of straightforward answers. "Before I don’t answer, I’d like to insult you personally," she quipped to Sen. Richard Blumenthal, played by Mikey Day, setting the tone for the rest of the segment.
When pressed about whether the FBI had found photographs of President Donald Trump during a raid on Jeffrey Epstein’s property, Poehler’s Bondi shot back, "Sir, I’m not even going to dignify that question with a lie." The line, equal parts evasive and cheeky, drew both laughter and a flurry of online reactions. As USA Today reported, the sketch didn’t let up—Poehler’s Bondi refused to answer questions, making a show of reading from her prepared list of insults, poking fun at the sometimes-circular nature of political testimony.
Enter Tina Fey as Kristi Noem, storming onto the set with an assault rifle slung over her shoulder. Fey’s Noem lavished praise on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), declaring the agency was recruiting "big," "tough" men who "are not tough enough for the army or police" but "take supplements that you bought at a gas station" and "like to use zip-ties because people in your life don’t trust you with keys." The over-the-top description lampooned the agency’s recruitment efforts, but it also highlighted the sometimes absurd rhetoric surrounding border enforcement and homeland security.
The sketch took another jab at ongoing political tensions, referencing the government shutdown. Fey’s Noem declared, "this Democrat government shutdown needs to end now," prompting a deadpan response from Blumenthal (Day) that Democrats are "even more eager to end" the shutdown than Republicans. "That makes me laugh more than the end of 'Old Yeller'," Fey’s Noem replied, alluding to Noem’s controversial past comments about shooting an "untrainable" dog. The joke, darkly comic, was a nod to a real-life controversy that had previously landed Noem in the satirical crosshairs of South Park as well.
But the story didn’t end with the live broadcast. The real Pam Bondi took to social media just two days later, embracing the parody with surprising good humor. On October 13, she posted on X (formerly Twitter), "@Sec_Noem, should we recreate this picture in Chicago? Loving Amy Poehler!" She included a photo of Poehler and Fey in character, tagging Noem and signaling a willingness to laugh at herself. As USA Today noted, Bondi’s response was refreshingly lighthearted—an acknowledgment that sometimes, it’s better to join in on the joke than to bristle at it.
The Department of Homeland Security, meanwhile, found an unexpected use for the sketch. In a move that raised eyebrows, DHS posted a clip of Fey’s Noem to promote ICE recruitment, but not before editing out the punchlines that poked fun at the agency. "Thanks for the free advertisement @NBCSNL," DHS posted, clearly attempting to flip the satirical portrayal into a positive. The agency’s Assistant Secretary, Tricia McLaughlin, weighed in as well, telling USA Today, "'SNL' is absolutely right -- the Democrats' shutdown does need to end!" Her comment referenced the joke in the sketch and underscored how even satire can become fodder for real-world political messaging.
The interplay between comedy and politics is nothing new, but this particular episode of Saturday Night Live managed to blur the lines in particularly vivid fashion. Not only did it lampoon the personalities and policies of two high-profile officials, but it also became a tool for those very officials and their departments to further their own narratives—albeit with a wink and a nod to the original source.
Kristi Noem, for her part, is no stranger to being satirized. Earlier in the year, South Park took aim at her, depicting her in a cartoonish scenario involving shooting dogs and a melting face that needed reattaching. Noem responded to that portrayal on "The Glenn Beck Program" podcast, calling it "lazy" to "make fun of women for how they look." The SNL sketch, however, focused less on appearance and more on policy and public persona, with Fey’s Noem doubling down on the infamous dog story: "Dogs don’t just ‘get shot.’ Heroes shoot them." The line, both a parody and a pointed callback, demonstrated how late-night comedy can resurface and reframe controversies in the public imagination.
There’s a certain irony in the Department of Homeland Security’s decision to use a satirical sketch as a recruitment tool. By trimming away the jokes, DHS attempted to repackage Fey’s performance as a straightforward endorsement of ICE, even as the original intent was to lampoon the agency’s aggressive image. This kind of media jujitsu is becoming increasingly common as public figures and organizations seek to capitalize on viral moments—whether or not the original message was flattering.
For viewers, the sketch was a reminder of SNL’s enduring ability to capture the absurdities of American political life. The show’s willingness to poke fun at both sides of the aisle, and its knack for turning real-life controversies into comedic gold, remains a staple of its appeal. But beyond the laughs, the episode also highlighted how satire can influence the conversation, prompting responses from those in power and even shaping official communications.
In the end, the October 11 cold open was more than just another SNL skit—it was a cultural moment that underscored the complex relationship between politics, media, and comedy in 2025. With Bondi embracing the joke, DHS spinning it for recruitment, and Noem’s public persona once again under the microscope, it’s clear that in today’s media landscape, satire and reality are often closer than they appear.