SNL's Trump Skits: Fans Unimpressed with Season Premiere
SNL Season 51 Kicks Off on a Sour Note: Critics Slam "Unfunny" Cold Open
Last night's highly anticipated premiere of Saturday Night Live (SNL) was met with disappointment and frustration from fans who felt that the show's cold open was a major misstep. The long-running sketch comedy series, now in its 51st season, opened with a scathing critique of Donald Trump's recent actions, but unfortunately, it fell flat.
The show began with James Austin Johnson reprising his role as Trump, this time tackling the president's crackdown on TV. However, the tone quickly shifted to absurdity when Colin Jost was introduced as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, delivering a cringe-worthy rendition of his recent viral speech to top army brass. Jost portrayed Hegseth as a drunken frat commander hell-bent on rewriting military culture.
In a bizarre twist, Jost's character announced that the military would now have "the same rules as any good frat party," adding, "No fat chicks, and if you're a fat dude, god damn it, you better be funny as hell!" The joke was met with awkward silence from the audience, leaving many viewers wondering what exactly the writers were trying to achieve.
But that wasn't the only jab at Trump's administration. Johnson's character then chimed in, referencing pressure from the FCC over comments made by Jimmy Kimmel about conservative commentator Charlie Kirk. Johnson's Trump also brought up a 2003 birthday letter allegedly penned by the president to pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein. "Oh, and Colin: 'May every day be another wonderful secret.' That was a quote from a poem I wrote to a horrible man I've never met before," he said with a smirk.
The cold open's lack of laughs was immediately reflected on social media, with fans airing their grievances online. One user posted, "Well SNL starts out with a big swing and miss on their cold open. I get they don't like Trump but I didn't know they also don't like jokes." Another added, "Wow, they really showed him. SNL used to be funny," replying to a clip of the cold open.
One user expressed their concern that SNL might be losing its touch, writing, "Although I enjoy anyone who makes fun of Trump, but this was brutal! No one was laughing, it was bad. I'm afraid SNL is at its lowest point, maybe time to say goodbye." Another critic opined, "Just starting SNL and not a good start to Season 51. Colin Jost as Hegseth was awful. Trump guy was still good though. I'm sure Bad Bunny will flop again."
The controversy didn't end there. Johnson also managed to sneak in a joke about the mysterious bruise on Trump's hand, which surfaced earlier this summer. He showed off his own makeup-caked hand, mirroring the president's injury, and quipped, "Not looking great right now. Gonna cover this up for the rest of my life."
In addition to the cold open, SNL also tackled the Riyadh Comedy Festival, where several comedians participated in a Saudi-backed event. Johnson joked that the crew should "keep an eye on Marcello," referencing Latino cast member Marcello Hernández.
The show's politics didn't stop there; during Weekend Update, Colin Jost and his partner Michael Che referenced recent news about peace discussions between Israel and Hamas. Che quipped that you could "tell Trump wrote the plan himself" before cutting to a photo of a poem allegedly written to Jeffrey Epstein with Trump's signature. The White House has repeatedly denied claims that Trump wrote the letter or had a friendship with Epstein.
As if all this wasn't enough, host Bad Bunny shot back at his critics, including Fox News, over his recent Super Bowl halftime show announcement. Despite a backlash from Donald Trump supporters after he cited ICE agents as a reason for not including mainland US dates on his tour, Bad Bunny confidently declared during his opening monologue, "You might not know this but I'm doing the Super Bowl halftime show and I'm very happy and I think everyone is happy about it - even Fox News."
A heavily-edited clip then played, stitching together comments from various Fox anchors and pundits to make it seem like they were all suddenly fans of Bad Bunny. The result was a cringeworthy display that only added fuel to the fire.
As the night drew to a close, one thing became clear: SNL Season 51 got off on the wrong foot, and it's up to the writers to regroup and come up with something more than just "unfunny" attempts at humor.
