Kristi Noem's other dog fears for his life on 'SNL' Weekend Update

"It's like they say: I don't know if she rescued me, or if I'm gonna get shot in the face."
 By 
Belen Edwards
 on 
A smiling man in a dog suit.
Watch Next

SNL's Weekend Update torched Kristi Noem this week, with the help of a very good (and very scared) dog.

The South Dakota governor — and possible running mate pick for Donald Trump — came under fire recently after her memoir detailed how she shot and killed her 14-month-old puppy Cricket. On SNL, her other dog (Marcello Hernández) tries to set the record straight by defending his owner.

This other dog is also named Cricket: Cricket the Seventh. "The first six were bad dogs," he explains to Update co-host Colin Jost. But this Cricket is totally behind Noem, decrying the outrage over her puppy killing — which, again, she wrote about herself — as "media spin."

"Team Kristi for life! For my very long life! Please! I love you Kristi," Cricket says.

As the segment goes on, Cricket's Noem-loving facade cracks, revealing that he's actually terrified of the governor. In an inspired bit, viral talking dog buttons become an outlet for Cricket to express his true feelings.

"She's going to kill me," he signals to Jost. "I die tonight."

As for why Noem would write about killing a puppy in the first place? "She thought Trump would like it," Cricket says with the buttons' help. "But she's not invited to Mar-a-Lago."

Topics SNL

A woman in a white sweater with shoulder-length brown hair.
Belen Edwards
Entertainment Reporter

Belen Edwards is an Entertainment Reporter at Mashable. She covers movies and TV with a focus on fantasy and science fiction, adaptations, animation, and more nerdy goodness. She is a member of the Critics Choice Association and the Television Critics Association, as well as a Tomatometer-approved critic.


Latest Videos

Stephen Colbert reacts to the Artemis II moon mission
A man in a suit stands on a talk show stage, gesturing.


'The Daily Show' reacts to judge halting Trump's White House ballroom
Desi Lydic presents "The Daily Show" beside an image of Donald Trump.


A24's 'Mother Mary' trailer is worth it for the FKA twigs track
Anne Hathway is dressed in a red pop star outfit with religious overtones in a film still from "Mother Mary."

Jon Stewart has a brutal reaction to Trump waffling about pens
A man in a suit sitting behind a talk show desk looks angry. In the top left is an image of the president holding up a pen.

Stephen Colbert gleefully recaps the best signs at the 'No Kings' protest
A man in a suit stands on a talk show stage, smiling. The caption at the bottom reads, "I like that one."

Riz Ahmed is troublingly intense in new 'SNL UK' promo
A close-up of a man grinning in a slightly creepy way.


The biggest stories of the day delivered to your inbox.
These newsletters may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. By clicking Subscribe, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Thanks for signing up. See you at your inbox!