'SNL' Mother's Day Cold Open gets ruined by Trump

"Bad things happen in threes."
 By 
Chance Townsend
 on 
Man in a Trump outfit
Watch Next

Another Saturday Night Live, another Cold Open starring James Austin Johnson doing his eerily spot-on Donald Trump impression.

This week, the sketch starts sweetly with Kenan Thompson, Marcello Hernández, and Bowen Yang delivering a heartfelt Mother’s Day tribute — complete with their actual moms on stage. Enter Trump.

"Don't worry, those aren't even the real moms, those are actors," Johnson’s Trump quips. "SNL wouldn’t spring for the flights."

From there, it’s five straight minutes of Johnson channeling Trump in full stand-up mode, complete with a surprise drop-in from ex-cast member Cecily Strong as Jeanine Pirro, a former FOX News host and Trump’s interim pick for U.S. Attorney for D.C.

Alongside Colin Jost playing Pete Hegseth, the Cold Open gleefully skewers both for their enthusiastic relationship with alcohol. Trump even dubs them the "AA Team."

Topics SNL

Headshot of a Black man
Chance Townsend
Assistant Editor, General Assignments

Chance Townsend is the General Assignments Editor at Mashable, covering tech, video games, dating apps, digital culture, and whatever else comes his way. He has a Master's in Journalism from the University of North Texas and is a proud orange cat father. His writing has also appeared in PC Mag and Mother Jones.

In his free time, he cooks, loves to sleep, and greatly enjoys Detroit sports. If you have any tips or want to talk shop about the Lions, you can reach out to him on Bluesky @offbrandchance.bsky.social or by email at [email protected].


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!