Saturday Night Live made a triumphant return to televisions across the country on October 4, 2025, launching its 51st season with a cold open that wasted no time diving into the week’s most controversial headlines. The show, which has long held a reputation for its sharp political satire and fearless lampooning of public figures, set its sights on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and former President Donald Trump, blending biting humor with timely cultural critique.
Colin Jost, SNL’s veteran anchor and co-head writer, stepped into the role of Pete Hegseth, channeling the Defense Secretary’s now-infamous speech to military brass at Marine Corps Base Quantico earlier in the week. According to Daily Mail, Jost’s portrayal of Hegseth was that of a hard-partying, rule-rewriting commander, declaring, “Our military will now have the same rules as any good frat party. No fat chicks, and if you’re a fat dude, god damn it, you better be funny as hell!” The line, delivered with Jost’s signature deadpan, immediately set the tone for a night of unflinching satire and cultural commentary.
But SNL didn’t stop there. Enter James Austin Johnson, whose uncanny impersonation of Donald Trump has become a fan favorite. Johnson’s Trump took the stage, professing his love for the military—“the skinny ones, the strong ones, even the ones who don’t vote for me—which is none of them, by the way, tremendous support,” he quipped, referencing Trump’s characteristic bravado. The sketch quickly turned meta, with Johnson’s Trump roasting SNL itself for supposedly lagging ratings and poking fun at the show’s decision to have Jost open the season premiere: “Off to a rough start got the update guy doing the open.”
As reported by Daily Mail, the cold open deftly wove in references to the recent upheaval in late-night television, including the cancellation of Stephen Colbert’s Late Show and the ongoing drama surrounding Jimmy Kimmel Live! Johnson’s Trump warned SNL to “be on their best behavior, otherwise they’ll have to answer to my attack dog at the FCC, Brandon Carr.” This set the stage for Mikey Day’s entrance as FCC chairman Brendan Carr, who playfully corrected the president’s mistake (“Brandon” instead of “Brendan”). The segment lampooned the real-life controversy over Jimmy Kimmel’s show, which had been canceled indefinitely by ABC affiliates Nexstar and Sinclair less than a week prior.
In a moment that delighted eagle-eyed viewers, Johnson’s Trump referenced the mysterious bruise seen on the former president’s hand in August. “I’m just here keeping my eye on SNL, making sure they don’t do anything too mean about me, and they better be careful, because I know late-night TV like the back of my hand,” he said, flashing a makeup-caked hand for comedic effect. “Not looking great right now. Gonna cover this up for the rest of my life.”
The satire didn’t shy away from international topics either. Johnson’s Trump alluded to the administration’s recent plans for a military strike on a boat off the coast of Venezuela, a reference to Hegseth’s announcement on October 3. The show also mocked American comedians participating in the Saudi-backed Riyadh Comedy Festival, with Johnson’s Trump making a dark joke about the Saudi government’s record on press freedom: “We like the Saudis because they like to saw deez journalists in half.”
Throughout the night, SNL’s signature political edge was on full display. During Weekend Update, Jost and his longtime co-anchor Michael Che riffed on the ongoing peace discussions between Israel and Hamas, with Che quipping, “You could tell Trump wrote the plan himself,” before cutting to a photo of a poem allegedly penned by Trump to Jeffrey Epstein. The White House, as Daily Mail notes, has repeatedly denied claims that Trump wrote such a letter or maintained a friendship with Epstein.
In another memorable sketch, host Bad Bunny joined cast members Chloe Fineman, Sarah Sherman, and Mikey Day in lampooning Sydney Sweeney’s viral American Eagle jeans ad and making tongue-in-cheek references to the Epstein scandal. Sherman’s character joked, “I’m on the Epstein list, yeah, because I was on a JetBlue flight that had a connection on his island. Sue me!” The sketch managed to blend topical humor with the show’s trademark absurdity, keeping the audience both amused and on their toes.
Bad Bunny, who recently made headlines as the first star to host SNL after being the musical guest in the previous episode, helmed the premiere with confidence and charisma. In his opening monologue, he addressed the news that he would headline the Super Bowl Halftime Performance, quipping, “I think everybody is happy about it—even Fox News.” The musical guest, Doja Cat, made her SNL debut, adding to the sense of occasion for the season opener.
The episode also marked the debut of new cast members Veronika Slowikowska, Jeremy Culhane, Tommy Brennan, Kam Patterson, and Ben Marshall of Please Don’t Destroy. They joined returning favorites including Mikey Day, Andrew Dismukes, Chloe Fineman, Marcello Hernández, James Austin Johnson, Sarah Sherman, Kenan Thompson, Bowen Yang, and, of course, Weekend Update anchors Jost and Che. As Mediaite highlighted, this season sees the departure of Heidi Gardner, Ego Nwodim, Devon Walker, Michael Longfellow, and Emil Wakim, signaling a changing of the guard for the iconic show.
One of the night’s most talked-about moments came during Weekend Update, when Jost lampooned Trump’s recent rant about climbing stairs by dubbing it with a Jennifer Coolidge voice impression. “President Trump also spoke to a group of military leaders this week, and at one point, he went on a long rant about how good Barack Obama was at walking downstairs,” Jost said, before launching into a surreal mashup: “Be cool. Be cool when you walk down, but don’t… Don’t pop down the stairs. So one thing with Obama, I had zero respect for him as a president, but he would bop down those stairs. Da da da da, da da bop bop.” The bit, which aired via NBC’s Saturday Night Live, quickly went viral, showcasing the show’s enduring ability to blend political satire with pop culture references.
Looking ahead, SNL fans can expect more star power in the coming weeks. Amy Poehler, an SNL alum, is set to host the October 11 episode with Role Model as the musical guest, while Sabrina Carpenter will pull double duty as host and musical guest on October 18. The show’s willingness to tackle everything from military policy to late-night television drama, all with a healthy dose of irreverence, suggests that its 51st season will be anything but dull.
For a program that’s seen countless cultural shifts and political storms, SNL’s latest premiere proves it still has its finger firmly on the pulse—and isn’t afraid to poke a little fun, no matter who’s in the crosshairs.