Entertainment

People Can’t Get Over The “Saturday Night Live” Cold Open On Pete Hegseth And Kristi Noem


This week, Saturday Night Live‘s cold open dragged President Donald Trump’s Secretary of War Pete Hegseth over the war in Iran and the news of Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem’s firing.

Bloomberg / Bloomberg via Getty Images

On the March 7 episode hosted by Ryan Gosling, Colin Jost reprised his role as Hegseth, portraying him as an “unhinged fratboy.”

Person in a suit speaks at a podium with a presidential seal, flanked by flags. Background features decorative elements

NBC / Will Heath/NBC via Getty Images

Related: Here Are 60 Disney Characters — You Better Remember At Least 55

Jost’s Hegseth literally started with a keg stand, which really set the tone for the rest of the cold open, which was completely off the rails.

A man in a suit is held upside down over a keg by two people in military uniforms during a comedic skit

NBC

SNL mocked the way the Department of War and the Trump administration have been addressing the Iran attacks on social media.

A person in a suit speaks passionately at a podium with U.S. and military flags in the background

NBC

And Jost’s version of Hegseth reeeeeaaaaally took it there.

A person in a suit speaks at a podium with U.S. and military flags in the background, appearing on C-SPAN

NBC

When a reporter referred to the attacks from the US and Israel on Iran as a war, he abruptly interrupted her.

Comedian delivers a satirical speech, humorously denying a situation is a "war" and jokes about labeling, referencing a past relationship as an example

NBC

Related: 14 Onscreen Scenes So Horrible, The Actors Who Filmed Them Are Still Having Nightmares To This Day

Then, Hegseth introduced Noem to the reporters, apparently for the last time, given the recent announcement of her replacement. Trump announced on Truth Social on March 5 that Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma will replace Noem on March 31.

Person in a suit passionately speaking at a podium with flags in the background

NBC

Ashley Padilla reprised her role as Noem to clear up any confusion about her reassignment by President Trump.

A woman in a dark blazer speaks at a podium with flags in the background, as seen in a C-SPAN broadcast

NBC

Related: If You Haven’t Seen 27/50 Of These Classic TV Sitcoms, You’re Officially Uncultured

Padilla’s Noem shared why she was proud of her accomplishments in her time at the Department of Homeland Security.

A person humorously discusses job achievements, mentioning border security, deportation, spending on ads, and a personal anecdote about a coworker

NBC

And she explained that her departure might be “bittersweet,” but she’s excited for her new role as a special envoy of “The Shield of the Americas,” created by President Trump.

Person speaking at a podium with flags and a C-SPAN logo, dressed formally in a dark suit with long wavy hair

NBC

SNL‘s cold open was brutal, to say the least, from start to finish.

A person stands at a podium speaking, with two flags behind them and a "C-SPAN" logo visible in the lower right corner

NBC

People can’t stop talking about Colin Jost’s “frat boy” portrayal of Pete Hegseth.

Person in a suit on stage, gesturing with arms wide. C-SPAN and SNL logos in corner

NBC

“Even Hegseth would agree Colin captured his ‘warrior ethos’ perfectly,” one person wrote. Another said, “You had me at Hegstand.”

“He’s soooo good as Hegseth it’s incredible,” someone else added. Another person said, “Jost as unhinged fratboy hegseth will never not be funny.”

One person said, “Honestly, I can’t see Hegseth now without thinking of Colin,” and someone else added, “These Hegseth skits will go down in history as some of the best.”

“There’s nothing better in these times to watch than Jost’s secretary of incompetence,” another user wrote. This person praised Noem’s portrayal, writing, “Alex Padilla got Noem’s voice perfectly.”

Related: Less Than 7% Of People Can Score 11/14 On This “Gilmore Girls” Character Quiz, So I’ll Be Amazed If You Can

Others couldn’t get over how close SNL‘s cold open feels to our disturbing “reality.”

Two individuals on stage singing or speaking enthusiastically into a shared microphone, both dressed in formal attire with American flags in the background

NBC

“That moment when you realize SNL is no longer writing scripts, they’re just doing slightly dramatized reenactments of reality,” one person said. Someone else wrote, “SNL has now become America’s most credible news source.”

Another added, “If it wasn’t for the SNL end card would we know it wasn’t the actual press conference?”

Lastly, someone asked, “When did SNL turn into a documentary program?”

You can watch the SNL cold open here.

What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.

You Might Like: 37 Effective Products That Should Be On Your Radar If You’ve Got Annoying Body Problems

You Might Like: 39 Slightly Embarrassing Products You’ll Probably Be Glad You Don’t Have To Buy In Person

Also in TVAndMovies: Choose A Prom Look For Each Disney Princess And We’ll Accurately Guess Your Age

Read it on BuzzFeed.com



Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Most Popular

To Top