Saturday Night Live’s 51st season continued its tradition of biting political satire on October 11, 2025, with a cold open that took aim at one of the week’s most talked-about moments in Washington: Attorney General Pam Bondi’s contentious Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. The sketch, which featured SNL alum and this week’s host Amy Poehler as Bondi, and her long-time comedic partner Tina Fey as Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, was packed with rapid-fire jokes, pointed political commentary, and a few surprises that delighted both audiences and the real-life subjects of the parody.
The SNL cold open wasted no time setting the scene. Poehler, in a spot-on wig and Bondi’s signature style, appeared before a mock Senate panel where she faced a barrage of questions about the Trump administration’s most controversial issues: the infamous Epstein Files, the deployment of federal agents to American cities, and the recent indictment of former FBI Director James Comey. James Austin Johnson portrayed Senator Grassley, who solemnly asked, “Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?”—to which Poehler’s Bondi cheekily replied, “No.” According to Variety, the sketch instantly set the tone for a night of irreverent humor and political lampooning.
Throughout the sketch, Poehler’s Bondi parried questions with a mixture of sarcasm and evasiveness, echoing the real Senate hearing earlier in the week. When pressed about whether President Trump had instructed her to indict James Comey, Poehler deadpanned, “I’m not going to discuss my private conversations with the president. I’m not telling you who fell asleep in the middle of a sentence, or who kept calling me Ivanka while patting his lap.” This joke, as reported by Variety and Daily Mail, drew audible laughter from the studio audience and quickly made the rounds on social media.
The sketch didn’t shy away from the more salacious aspects of the hearing, either. When asked if the FBI had found photos of Trump with young women during their raid on Jeffrey Epstein’s property, Bondi responded, “Sir, I’m not even going to dignify that question with a lie.” Poehler’s Bondi later quipped, “I tried reading the Epstein files, but I got really bored. It’s so repetitive. ‘Trump this, Trump that.’ Yawn.” These lines, according to BBC and Daily Mail, mirrored the real-life scrutiny Bondi faced during her testimony, where Democratic senators, including Adam Schiff and Sheldon Whitehouse, questioned her about “hundreds” of suspicious activity reports related to Epstein’s finances and alleged connections to Trump.
As Bondi’s character struggled to maintain control, she called for backup—a cue for Tina Fey’s dramatic entrance as Kristi Noem, complete with a heavy metal guitar riff, a baseball cap, and a large assault rifle. Fey’s Noem, whose look was described by Daily Mail as reminiscent of her iconic Sarah Palin impersonation, introduced herself: “That’s right, it’s me, Kristi. I spelled my name with an ‘i’ because that’s how I thought it was spelled.” With characteristic deadpan, Fey declared, “I’m the rarest type of person in Washington DC—a brunette that Donald Trump listens to.”
The sketch quickly turned its sights on the Department of Homeland Security and ICE agents, with Fey’s Noem boasting about her recruitment tactics. “How did I find them? By running ads like this,” she began, launching into a mock Q&A with Poehler: “Do you need a job now?” “Yeah!” “Are you a big tough guy?” “Yeah.” “Tough enough for the army or police?” “No!” “Do you take supplements that you bought at a gas station?” “Daily.” “Do you like to use zip ties because people in your life don’t trust you with keys?” “You know it!” “Well then buckle up and slap on some Oakleys, big boy. Welcome to ICE.” The parody, as noted by Variety and BBC, lampooned both the bravado and the controversy surrounding federal law enforcement in recent years.
The script also found room to mock the so-called “dog-shooting scandal,” with Fey’s Noem making a grim joke about “heroes” shooting dogs—a reference to real-life controversies that have dogged the secretary. When a senator pointed out that “the dog had been a victim of gun violence,” Fey’s Noem retorted, “Dogs don’t just get ‘shot.’ Heroes shoot them.” The audience reaction was a mix of stunned laughter and disbelief, a hallmark of SNL’s edgier moments.
In an unusual turn, the real Pam Bondi responded to the parody with good humor. As reported by Daily Mail, Bondi posted a picture of Poehler and Fey in costume with a playful message to Secretary Noem: “@SecNoem, should we recreate this picture in Chicago?” She added, “Loving Amy Poehler!”—a marked contrast to the more adversarial reactions SNL has received from Republican politicians in the past, including former President Trump, who often criticized the show’s portrayals of him as biased or propagandistic. Secretary Noem, for her part, had yet to publicly respond to Fey’s impersonation as of press time.
Throughout the sketch, the SNL writers made pointed reference to the real-life hearing’s partisan divisions. During Bondi’s actual testimony, Democrats accused her of politicizing the Department of Justice, while Republicans praised her efforts to “restore law enforcement’s mission.” In the parody, this dynamic was lampooned as senators from both parties sparred over the government shutdown and the administration’s priorities, with Fey’s Noem insisting, “The Democrat government shutdown must end,” and a fake senator countering, “The Democrats are even more eager to end this shutdown than our Republican colleagues.” Fey’s Noem, unfazed, replied, “That makes me laugh more than the end of Old Yeller. You know, the one where the dog dies.”
As the sketch drew to a close, Poehler’s Bondi asked the Senate panel, “Does that answer your question?” One senator responded, “No, not even a little bit.” Bondi replied, “Then our work here is done,” and she and Fey stood back-to-back, arms crossed, soaking in the audience’s cheers. The show then kicked off its 50th anniversary celebration with the iconic line, “Live from New York, it’s Saturday Night!”—a nod to SNL’s enduring legacy as a mirror for American politics and culture.
Later in the broadcast, Poehler and Fey reprised their beloved Weekend Update segment, further cementing the night as a nostalgic celebration of the duo’s comedic chemistry and SNL’s five decades on air. The sketch, which deftly balanced humor and political commentary, was widely praised for its sharp writing and fearless performances—reminding viewers that, even after 50 years, SNL remains at the center of the national conversation.
