Saturday Night Live Season 51 Premiere
The new season of Saturday Night Live kicked off with a familiar face. James Austin Johnson returned to voice a chilling version of Donald Trump, portraying him as a self-proclaimed censorship czar who cautioned the cast not to push boundaries with their jokes.
The sketch opened with Colin Jost, playing a reconfigured Secretary of Defense, introducing a “new rule” that elicited some raised eyebrows. “No fat, no facial hair or body hair,” he declared. Jost also insisted that the military needed “a hot, fine, hairless man who is definitely not gay,” before claiming that America faced “the greatest threat to freedom and democracy the world has ever known.” The scene then transitioned to Johnson’s card-playing Trump.
This set the stage for commentary on recent tensions, particularly involving FCC Chairman Brendan Kerr’s scrutiny of Disney and ABC after Jimmy Kimmel made a joke about the late conservative commentator Charlie Kirk. Trump remarked, “I’m watching SNL closely to make sure they don’t say anything too sensible about me,” and added a punchline about his infamous orange makeup. “He doesn’t look good now!”
Johnson’s Trump, eager to mock, turned to SNL itself. “They’ll never allow it,” he noted, referencing Jost’s earlier appearance. In one grimly comedic moment, he quipped, “It’s a shame because Saudi Arabians enjoy ‘seeing’ journalists in half.” This line hinted at recent criticism directed at comedians who’ve performed in Saudi Arabia, including Bill Barr and Dave Chappelle.
As the sketch neared its conclusion, Johnson’s Trump couldn’t help but take one last jab at the show. “SNL in its 51st season? Maybe we should’ve called it quits at 50,” he jested. “It’s sad to watch something so outdated still begging for attention.” In a playful mix-up, when Mikey Day corrected him, “It’s actually ‘Brendan’, Sir,” Trump made his comeback.
Wrapping up, Trump dished out some chaotic “updates” from the summer and teased a new campaign nobody requested. “I’ve ended all wars, but there’s still more strife than ever. Now, I’ve started a new war in Venezuela.” His final remark encapsulated the wild energy of the sketch. The new conflict, he claimed, would be funded “with my fraud.”
Viewers can catch the exciting cold opening of Saturday Night Live Season 51.
