Saturday Night Live Reaches 1,000th Episode with Surprise Cameos
Saturday Night Live marked its 1,000th regular episode by welcoming back a familiar face, Pete Davidson, who made a surprise appearance during the cold open. This moment came amidst ongoing tensions in Minneapolis, where Davidson portrayed Tom Homan, the White House border czar.
In his role, Homan explained he was dispatched to consult with ICE unit commanders “in response to the chaotic situation in Minnesota” and to clarify their mission. However, his explanations didn’t always go as planned.
Davidson kicked things off with, “My name is Tom Homan.” He quickly addressed the elephant in the room: “Many of you might be wondering why the last guy, Greg Bovino, got fired. I want to make it clear: it wasn’t because he did a bad job, or because he lied publicly about shooting Americans, or dressed like a Nazi. He was filmed doing those things, and that’s what got him in trouble.”
Attempting to regain control of the situation, Davidson’s character stated, “Now that I’m here, let’s focus. Why are we in Minneapolis?”
The answers he received ranged from confused to wildly incorrect. One fake ICE official simply said, “Pass,” while another guessed, “I could be mistaken, but isn’t it the Army?”
Davidson responded, “Close enough. We’re actually here to detain and deport illegal immigrants who have committed crimes.”
One agent replied, “This is literally the first I’ve heard of that,” leading Davidson to redirect yet again.
“Forget everything that’s been said before. We’re not here to intimidate or violate anyone’s rights. Now, what do we want?” he asked. An investigator confidently chimed in, “It’s Epstein’s file.”
To this, Davidson quipped, “No, we just released that to distract from this, which is kind of ironic because we did it to distract from them.”
Davidson, who was part of the SNL cast from 2014 to 2022, often makes appearances even after his retirement. This marked his second cameo in Season 51, after his November 8 spot on the Weekend Update where he joked about the Staten Island ferry he bought with Colin Jost.
The January 31st episode was hosted by Alexander Skarsgård, with Cardi B returning as the musical guest for her second stint and hosting for the first time. She previously appeared alongside Chadwick Boseman in April 2018.
Skarsgård humorously referenced his Swedish background during his monologue, saying, “I loved watching this show from my igloo in Stockholm as a kid. But honestly, during monologues, I was way more interested in the band behind me. Sometimes I laughed, sometimes I didn’t.” He then remarked on the band playing the saxophone on stage.
In a surprise twist, Skarsgård’s father, Stellan, also made an appearance in two sketches. One involved Stellan playing the father of Swedish brothers portrayed by Alexander and Chloe Fineman, leading to a bizarre bathtub scene where they expressed a readiness to die.
Stellan later appeared in the SNL segment “Immigrant Dad Talk Show,” alongside Marcello Hernandez and Cardi B, who played Hernandez’s character’s wife.
The episode wrapped up with a tribute to Catherine O’Hara and teased the upcoming February 28 episode, which will feature host Conor Storey and musical guests Mumford & Sons. Season 51 has already showcased a stellar lineup of hosts, including Bad Bunny, Amy Poehler, and Melissa McCarthy, among others.
