SNL season 51 cold open brings in Trump with a warning not to "do anything too mean"

On October 4, 2025, Saturday Night Live launched its 51st season with a cold open that was equal parts hilarious and provocative, featuring James Austin Johnson as Donald Trump. Johnson’s Trump barged into the sketch to warn SNL, saying-

“I’m just keeping an eye on SNL, making sure they don’t do anything too mean about me,"

threatening to unleash the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) if the show crossed the line. Displaying a make-up-covered hand in reference to the President’s bruised hand, which has caused speculation about his health, he added-

“And I know late-night TV like the back of my hand.. Remember: Daddy’s watching.” 

He declared a line that captured both his comedic bravado and real-world media fixation. This moment set a fearless tone for the season, bringing together a different cast and an electrifying cultural and political climate. The sketch was not just a take on Trump; it reflected the tension between satire and power, a theme SNL has worked through for decades. 

Season 51 invited Puerto Rican rapper and actor Bad Bunny (who hosted for the second time and made his fourth overall appearance) to be the episode's host and rapper Doja Cat as the musical guest, in a live show produced at Studio 8H at 30 Rock Plaza in New York City which aired on NBC and Peacock on Saturday, October 4, 2025.

Five new featured players were also included such as stand-up comic Tommy Brennan, Upright Citizens Brigade performer and Dropout TV regular Jeremy Culhane, stand-up comic and notable Kill Tony podcast guest Kam Patterson, social media comedian and actress Veronika Slowikowska, and Ben Marshall (SNL staff writer and comics trio Please Don't Destroy member). 

SNL season 51 premieres with a Trump cameo

The cold open was a masterstroke of political comedy, blending absurdity with biting relevance. It opened with Colin Jost as Pete Hegseth, the controversial “secretary of war,” parodying a real-life meeting with military generals. Jost’s Hegseth bemoaned a military that’s “gay as hell” yet “never been fatter,” demanding “hot, shredded, hairless men who are definitely not gay.” The exaggerated take poked fun at hyper-masculine military rhetoric while exposing its contradictions. 

Johnson’s Trump took a swipe at the show’s rocky transition, noting,

“SNL 51 off to a rough start: 17 new cast members and they got the ‘Update’ guy doing open.”

This nod to the summer’s cast shake-up was SNL laughing at itself, a hallmark of its self-aware style. Trump’s jab at Jost, mocking him for missing out on the fictional “Riyadh Comedy Festival”, added a personal sting, with Jost’s sheepish “I didn’t get an offer” earning laughs for its vulnerability. 

The sketch took a darker turn when Trump name-dropped FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr, played by Mikey Day, as his “attack dog” to rein in the show. Day’s Carr, correcting Trump’s mispronunciation of his name, was a perfect foil—a nervous bureaucrat outshined by Trump’s bluster. This reference to Carr, a real Trump appointee pushing media oversight, grounded the humor in a chilling reality.

A new era for Saturday Night Live season 51:

Season 51 arrives at a pivotal moment. With a fresh cast lineup and an unsettled political landscape, SNL is not biting its tongue in its satire. The cold open about Trump indicates the show’s intentions to grapple with the 2024 election aftermath and so forth.

Johnson’s Trump, who has become a fan-favorite on SNL in this role, balances humor with menace, especially given Trump’s media experience in real life. The mention of the FCC’s Carr seemed like a jab, but there is nothing amusing about his leadership as Trump’s pick working to put the screws to the media when it comes to broadcast regulations, making that particular skit feel like a fingertip away from dystopian. But the self-aware humor, as was mentioned in the mention of “to a rough start”, humorously encourages a relationship with the audience.

Saturday Night Live Season 51 airs live on NBC Saturdays at 11:30 p.m. ET. Stream episodes the next day on Peacock.

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