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- “Saturday Night Live” kicked off its 51st season this weekend.
- The cast wasted no time in getting back to an old favorite: mocking the Trump administration.
- James Austin Johnson returned as President Donald Trump while Colin Jost played Pete Hegseth.
“Saturday Night Live” returned to screens this weekend, kicking off its 51st season with a signature roast of the Trump administration and a nod to the recent crackdown on late-night TV.
The show, hosted by Bad Bunny, began with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, played by Colin Jost, dressing down US military leaders over their appearance, referencing a speech Hegseth made this past week.
“This is serious,” an impassioned Jost said. “We are facing the greatest threat to freedom and democracy the world has ever known.”
“Late-night TV,” James Austin Johnson, returning in the role of President Donald Trump, interrupted.
Johnson’s Trump soon told the audience that he would be keeping an eye on “SNL” as he wanted to make sure it didn’t “do anything too mean” about him, and threatened to unleash his “attack dog at the FCC, Brandon Carr.”
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr, played by Mikey Day, then danced across the stage to the tune of Rockwell’s “Somebody’s Watching Me,” reminding Trump that it was Brendan, not Brandon.
“It’s crazy you’d think I’d care,” Johnson’s Trump said.
Johnson’s Trump ended the cold open with a warning to the audience: “Remember, daddy’s watching.”
It’s been a tense period for the late-night world, after “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” was temporarily suspended over comments the host made following the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
The suspension, which came after a threat from Carr, had fueled fears among some “SNL” fans that the show might tone down its critique of the administration.
They seemingly need not have worried, however.
Elsewhere in the show, host Bad Bunny appeared to enjoy himself as he poked fun at the backlash to the announcement that he would be headlining the next Super Bowl halftime show at Levi’s Stadium in California.
“You might not know this, but I’m doing the Super Bowl halftime show,” he said.
“I’m very happy, and I think everyone is happy about it. Even Fox News,” he added.
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