“Saturday Night Live” opened its 2026 season with a politically charged cold open that satirised recent global and domestic events, including tensions in Blue state Minneapolis and political unrest in Iran. The sketch aired on January 17 parodied figures from the Trump administration in a packed cabinet meeting setting.Hosted by Stranger Things lead Finn Wolfhard, the show featured James Austin Johnson reprising his role as President Donald Trump in a fictional White House briefing. Trump began by joking about receiving “my very own someone else’s Nobel Prize” and a comedic retelling of the United States’ actions in Venezuela, where he claimed that the country had “done a reverse Santa” on President Nicolás Maduro.
Colin Jost appeared as US defence secretary Pete Hegseth and took aim at the administration’s foreign policy stance. In a satirical threat aimed at Iran, Hegseth declared, “I’m gonna tell him, ‘If I Ayatollah you once, Ayatollah you a thousand times. You don’t dare kill your protesters. That’s our thing!”’ The line referenced political protests in Iran that have been met with violent crackdowns by authorities, drawing international attention.The cold open also included commentary on recent events in Minneapolis, where tensions have risen following the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent. Ashley Padilla played Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and responded to the situation with tongue-in-cheek remarks about clashes in the city. “Now, obviously, there’s been clashes on both sides in Minneapolis, and have we been perfect? Yes,” she said, before offering self-deprecating wordplay on her own name.The sketch blended current affairs with exaggerated character portrayals, using sharp satire to comment on both foreign policy and domestic issues. In addition to the political jokes, the episode featured a blend of comedy segments and performances from musical guest A$AP Rocky, with Wolfhard’s hosting marking his first time at the show since rising to fame in Stranger Things.
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