Colin Jost once again plays Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, and Ashley Padilla plays Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem.
‘SNL’ mocks President Trump over Epstein file, Patriot Games in cold war
The cold opening of this year’s final “SNL” episode mocked the Trump administration over its response to the release of the Epstein files.
“Saturday Night Live” is back. There are many things to see.
The sketch show returned on January 17th with its first new episode of 2026. In the cold air, James Austin Johnson appeared as President Donald Trump and gave a speech to inform viewers of all the events that had taken place during the show’s off-air time, including the U.S. capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
Like Trump, Johnson said: “I hope everyone had a great holiday and got what they wanted for Christmas.” “I got what I wanted: my own, someone else’s Nobel Prize. I’ll cherish it! And there was a Maduro in my stocking. Nicolas Maduro! We did a reverse Santa on him. We came down the chimney with the sack and took him away.”
Colin Jost once again played Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, who angrily took to the stage to discuss the situation in Venezuela. “We stormed in and stole the president head on,” Hegseth said, adding that the U.S. will target Iran next “because they don’t have the courage to kill protesters. That’s our job!”
The sketch also acknowledged tensions in Minneapolis after the shooting death of Renee Nicole Good by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. Ashley Padilla played Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
“Before we start, I want to say a word to my hair and makeup team, who hate me so much,” she said. “Now, obviously, there were conflicts on both sides in Minneapolis, but were we perfect? Yes.”
She continued, adding, “Please know, you can always count on me. My last name is Noem, so am I in control of the situation? Noem, I’m not.”
The cold open also included brief parodies of other recent Trump news, including a moment when the president reads out loud a memo from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and ended with Johnson’s Trump casually announcing, “The midterm elections are canceled too!”
Finn Wolfhard hosted the first new “SNL” of 2026 with musical guest A$AP Rocky. The episode was released a few weeks after the series finale of Wolfhard’s Netflix show Stranger Things. Meanwhile, Rocky recently released his latest album, Don’t Be Damn.
“SNL” was most recently hosted by Ariana Grande on Dec. 20 and featured musical guest Cher. This episode was the last for longtime cast member Bowen Yang, who tearfully bid farewell to the show in a meta sketch playing an airport worker on his final shift.
Who will be the next “SNL” host?
Wolfhard’s episode marked the beginning of three consecutive weeks of new “SNL” programming.
“SNL” is set to air next week with Teyana Taylor hosting and musical guest Geese. Taylor’s hosting debut comes amid Oscar buzz for her role in “One Battle After Another,” for which she recently won a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress.
Next week, Alexander Skarsgard will make his debut as host of “SNL” on Jan. 31, along with musical guest Cardi B.
