SNL is celebrating its 50th anniversary! How Lorne Michaels made comedy cool again
In the decades since its founding, SNL has become a cultural institution of American comedy.
Amy Poehler and Tina Fey are back together on “Saturday Night Live”!
The sketch show’s cold open featured two former “Weekend Update” anchors reuniting to impersonate Attorney General Pam Bondi and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
In the sketch, Poehler’s Bondi repeatedly refused to answer questions in a Senate hearing and was mocked when asked if he would affirm the testimony as true.
“I’m not going to talk about my personal conversations with the president,” Bondi said in the sketch. “I’m not going to say who said what, who fell asleep mid-sentence, who kept slapping me on the knee and calling me Ivanka.”
Poehler’s Bondi also insulted the congressman by referring to the “roast-style burns I put in this paper.” When asked if the FBI had discovered photos of President Donald Trump while searching Jeffrey Epstein’s property, she declared, “Sir, I’m not going to dignify that question with a lie.”
“I tried reading Epstein’s file and it was really boring,” she added. “It’s boring. This one is Trump, that one is Trump. Yawn.”
Fey quickly entered as Noem, assault rifle in hand, declaring herself to be “the rarest type of person in Washington”: “a brunette who listens to Donald Trump.” Fey also mocked Noem’s infamous story about shooting and killing her dog. When Sen. Richard Blumenthal (Mikey Day) said that Democrats were eager to end the government shutdown, she said, “It makes me laugh harder than the end of ‘Old Yeller.'” ”
Poehler, who was a cast member of “SNL” from 2001 to 2008, hosted the second episode of Season 51 with musical guest Role Model.
While she and Fey were both in the building, “SNL” couldn’t resist having them reunite on “Weekend Update.” Comedians took part in the “Joke Off” segment, where the duo was joined by former “Update” anchor Seth Meyers, and Michael Che and Colin Jost competed to come up with the best punch line to a joke.
There was also a surprise reunion on “Parks and Recreation,” with Aubrey Plaza joining Poehler during a sketch parodying the Netflix show “The Hunting Wives.”
“SNL” had already celebrated its 50th anniversary with a primetime special earlier this year, but Poehler’s episode commemorated the show’s actual 50th anniversary, as the first episode of “SNL” aired on October 11, 1975.
Poehler acknowledged the milestone in her monologue, joking, “You know what’s nice about turning 50? You stop caring about what people think. And that’s the great thing about ‘SNL.’ She obviously doesn’t care anymore.”
Bad Bunny kicked off Season 51 of SNL on October 4th by hosting the season premiere where he cruelly mocked President Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. The sketch also toyed with the idea that President Trump is overseeing “SNL” following Jimmy Kimmel’s controversial suspension following criticism from Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr.
“We face the greatest threat to freedom and democracy the world has ever seen, and we all know what that threat is,” Colin Jost’s Hegseth says in the skit, before Trump (James Austin Johnson) appears and concludes with, “Late night TV!” President Trump then warned that he would “keep an eye on” “SNL” and “make sure they don’t get too mean to me” to avoid the show having to respond to “my attack dogs at the FCC.”
The White House rejected SNL’s request for comment about the sketch, with press secretary Abigail Jackson saying in an email to USA TODAY: “Reacting to this would be wasting your viewing time. And like the millions of Americans who no longer watch ‘SNL,’ I have better things to do – like watch paint dry.”
Who will host next week’s “SNL”?
“SNL” is set to return next week with Sabrina Carpenter, who will play the dual role of host and musical guest on the Oct. 18 episode. This will be the first time that a singer will serve as host.
Other hosts and musical guests for Season 51 have not been announced.
