Saturday Night Live has long been known to poke fun at politics, and this weekend’s episode did not disappoint. Following Donald Trump’s victory over Kamala Harris at the polls earlier this week, the cast of the sketch comedy series gathered to celebrate his win… or did they? The show kicked off with its usual cold open last night, and while it started off one way, things quickly veered to the left with a dash of sarcasm that poked fun at Trump’s coming reign, and featured a brand-new impression by none other than Dana Carvey.
“On Tuesday, Americans went to the polls and elected Donald Trump to be the next President of the United States,” Bowen Yang began in the cold open (seen below). “To many people, including many people watching this show right now, the results were shocking, and even horrifying,” continued Ego Nwodim. After Kenan Thompson and Heidi Gardner had their say, Yang added: “And now, thanks to the supreme court, there are no guardrails.” Their somber delivery caused a hush to fall over the audience, until Thompson continued:
And that is why we at SNL would like to say to Donald Trump, we have been with you all along.
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Finally getting the joke, the crowd broke out in laughter as cast members continued to sarcastically praise Trump. “Every single person on this stage voted for you,” said Marcello Hernandez. “And Mr. Trump, your honor,” came the voice of Colin Jost as he entered the frame, “we know you say things that are controversial sometimes, but really you’re just speaking the truth, and I hate how the lamestream media – Michael Che – tries to spin it to make you look foolish.” His joke is even funnier when you consider that Jost and Che are co-hosts of the Weekend Update segment, and are always in a battle of trying to see who can poke the most fun at the other.
Dana Carvey Debuts His Elon Musk Impression
After throwing their three new cast members under the bus (Jane Wickline, Ashley Padilla and Emil Wakim) and proclaiming “Hail Trump,” Sarah Sherman told everyone that they were excited to debut their new impression: Hot Jacked Trump. James Austin Johnson came onto the stage wearing a red tie for a headband, a tank top, and fake muscles, flexing before saying, “From now on, we’re going to do a very flattering portrayal of Trump because he’s, frankly, my hero, and he’s going to make an incredible president and eventually king.”
That wasn’t the only new impression to debut, however, as shortly thereafter, longtime SNL favorite Dana Carvey was introduced as Elon Musk. Decked out in Musk’s signature black attire and ball cap, Carvey came on stage dancing and pumping his hands in the air, saying, “Check it out, dark MAGA.” He quickly added, “But seriously, I run the country now, and America is going to be like one of my rockets. They’re super cool and super fun, but there’s a slight chance it could blow up and everybody dies.”
The cold open concluded with everyone singing along to YMCA by Village People before they did the traditional “Live from New York it’s Saturday night!” After what’s been a tumultuous week for many, it’s nice to see that some things never change, and in these dark times we can still find a little laughter to get us through what’s undoubtedly going to be a rocky four years for America, if not the world.
The longest-running sketch-comedy/satire show on television, premiering in 1975, Saturday Night Live is a weekly series that features new hosts for each episode, with a core cast of actors and comedians that rotate over time. Episodes feature several skits that are sometimes ad-libbed on the fly, with the hosts engaging in most of them, and also provide musical guest performances that cap off each night.
- Release Date
- October 11, 1975
- Cast
- Leslie Jones , Aidy Bryant , Kyle Mooney , Alex Moffat , Kate McKinnon , Beck Bennett , Kenan Thompson , Colin Jost , Mikey Day , Cecily Strong , Michael Che , Pete Davidson , Melissa Villaseñor