Saturday Night Live (SNL) mocked Jeanine Pirro, Donald Trump‘s nomination for D.C. U.S. attorney, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth with jokes about drinking.
The Context
Hegseth has previously been accused of excessive drinking, with The New Yorker alleging in an article last year that he was seen drunk at several events hosted by Concerned Veterans for America and Veterans for Freedom, which he ran.
What To Know
In the show, Trump, who was played by James Austin Johnson, introduced Pirro, played by Cecily Strong, as “one of the loudest people he knows.”
“Look at this,” Trump said, pointing to a briefcase Pirro was holding, “Jeanine has brought her files and she’s ready to work.”
“Oh no this—it’s a cozy for my merlot-zy,” Pirro said as she pulled out a bottle of red wine.
The pair later brought out Hegseth, played by Colin Jost, who Pirro described as her “old drinking buddy.”
When Trump asked Jost if he was still drinking, he said: “No absolutely not, sir. I promised I would never have a bottle touch my lips.
“But I do have some news to share, but before I do, Jeanine—you wanna take a swig of this?”
Trump interrupts a Mother’s Day message pic.twitter.com/1SKvMj0inV
— Saturday Night Live – SNL (@nbcsnl) May 11, 2025
He then handed a bottle of whiskey to Pirro, who had, throughout the skit, sprayed her wine onto Hegseth every time she was shocked.
“I accidentally added Kim Jong Un to the group chat,” Jost said, cuing Strong up to spray the “swig” of whiskey she had just taken, which he opened his mouth in time for.
Trump ended the bit with: “Folks, they’re not the A-Team, they’re the AA-Team.”
What People Are Saying
While discussing the claims on The Megyn Kelly Show last year, Pete Hegseth repeatedly described the allegations against him as “smears.”
“First of all, I’ve never had a drinking problem,” Hegseth said. “No one’s ever approached me and said, ‘You should really look at getting help for drinking.’ Never, never sought counseling, never sought help, but I respect and appreciate people who do.
“But you know, what do guys do when they come back from war oftentimes? Have some beers. How do you deal with the demons you see on the battlefield? Sometimes it’s with a bottle.”
Hegseth said that if he was appointed as defense secretary, he would treat it as a deployment where you are not allowed to drink.
“This is the biggest deployment of my life, and there won’t be a drop of alcohol on my lips while I’m doing it,” he said.
What Happens Next
Ed Martin, currently serving as D.C.’s interim U.S. attorney, finishes his term in the role on May 20.
Announcing Pirro’s nomination, last Thursday, Trump posted on Truth Social: “I am pleased to announce that Judge Jeanine Pirro will be appointed interim United States attorney for the District of Columbia. Jeanine was assistant district attorney for Westchester County, New York, and then went on to serve as county judge, and district attorney, where she was the first woman ever to be elected to those positions.
He added: “During her time in office, Jeanine was a powerful crusader for victims of crime. Her establishment of the Domestic Violence Bureau in her Prosecutor’s Office was the first in the Nation. She excelled in all ways.”
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