Kate McKinnon returns to 'SNL' in a Fauci-led cold open that shreds the Cuomos

Cecily Strong's hilarious Marjorie Taylor Greene spoof also makes an appearance.
 By 
Adam Rosenberg
 on 
A still from the "Saturday Night Live" cold open sketch featuring Pete Davidson and Andrew Dismukes standing side by side, dressed in suits as they impersonate Andrew Cuomo and Chris Cuomo, respectively.
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Kate McKinnon is back.

The Saturday Night Live star's chameleonic antics took centerstage immediately in a cold open holiday message from Anthony Fauci. Starting with a bit we've seen before where the good doctor brings out CDC researchers to demonstrate best COVID-era practices — which they repeatedly get horribly, absurdly wrong — the cold open turns to politics, as these things do.

First it's a visit from the Cuomo brothers (Pete Davidson as Andrew and Andrew Dismukes as Chris), who warn that they "both lost our jobs because of COVID." Not quite, but sure guys. Next up it's Marjorie Taylor Greene (Cecily Strong) and Lauren Boebert (Chloe Fineman), two members of the GOP's Gun-toting Troll Caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives, who want to link our pandemic struggles to communism for some reason.

Last up is Aidy Bryant's blistering take on Ted Cruz. When she first walks on and says, "If you're sick of seeing me, imagine how sick I am of being me," it almost sounds like a cry for help. But Bryant brings her trademark comedy chops to the Texas Senator's unserious antics, reminding us again and again that Cruz, is in fact, pretty terrible in the way he operates.

You know, just your typical searing indictment of political buffoonery on an SNL cold open. Good times.

Topics SNL

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Adam Rosenberg

Adam Rosenberg is a Senior Games Reporter for Mashable, where he plays all the games. Every single one. From AAA blockbusters to indie darlings to mobile favorites and browser-based oddities, he consumes as much as he can, whenever he can.Adam brings more than a decade of experience working in the space to the Mashable Games team. He previously headed up all games coverage at Digital Trends, and prior to that was a long-time, full-time freelancer, writing for a diverse lineup of outlets that includes Rolling Stone, MTV, G4, Joystiq, IGN, Official Xbox Magazine, EGM, 1UP, UGO and others.Born and raised in the beautiful suburbs of New York, Adam has spent his life in and around the city. He's a New York University graduate with a double major in Journalism and Cinema Studios. He's also a certified audio engineer. Currently, Adam resides in Crown Heights with his dog and his partner's two cats. He's a lover of fine food, adorable animals, video games, all things geeky and shiny gadgets.


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