'SNL' cold open spoofs Pete Hegseth’s military meeting

James Austin Johnson and Colin Jost take the stage.
 By 
Christianna Silva
 on 
SNL cold open colin jost
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Saturday Night Live Season 51 started with a bang.

The first cold open of the season featured Colin Jost as the former Fox News anchor and current U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, who is now called the Secretary of War. The skit was a take on Hegseth's decision to gather military officers in Virginia for a pretty unusual meeting last week.

"Earlier this week, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth had the brilliant idea to gather all of our nation's top generals in one place at one time. And to throw our enemies off the scent, he told them exactly where and when it would happen," an announcement said at the top of the cold open. "We take you to this meeting now."

Enter: Jost as Hegseth, walking in with an absurd bravado and rock music blaring on stage. "Cut the track," he said before going on to call the military "gay" and "fat" and encouraging all members to begin emulating President Donald Trump: "6'6", buck 75, A-cups, perky, with a dump truck in the back you wouldn't even believe."

Trump, played by James Austin Johnson, interrupted Hegseth's speech to make sure SNL doesn't "do anything too mean about me," referencing his role in Jimmy Kimmel Live's recent suspension.

"Remember: Daddy's watching," Johnson's Trump said. "And live from New York, it's Saturday night!"

Topics SNL

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Christianna Silva
Senior Culture Reporter

Christianna Silva is a senior culture reporter covering social platforms and the creator economy, with a focus on the intersection of social media, politics, and the economic systems that govern us. Since joining Mashable in 2021, they have reported extensively on meme creators, content moderation, and the nature of online creation under capitalism.

Before joining Mashable, they worked as an editor at NPR and MTV News, a reporter at Teen Vogue and VICE News, and as a stablehand at a mini-horse farm. You can follow her on Bluesky @christiannaj.bsky.social and Instagram @christianna_j.


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