Saturday Night Live skewers Pete Hegseth in Colin Jost’s cold open
The Independent • • entertainment
Key Points:
- Saturday Night Live’s latest cold open satirized Pete Hegseth and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., with Colin Jost reprising his role as Hegseth to mock the USS Abraham Lincoln’s return and related political issues.
- Jost’s Hegseth humorously referenced the planned December execution of former Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan and joked about public executions returning, comparing it to the TV show Scrubs.
- The sketch highlighted controversy over the Department of War’s new emblem, which was admitted to have a “Nazi vibe,” adding to the satirical tone.
- James Austin Johnson portrayed Robert F. Kennedy Jr., mocking his controversial health claims and recent food recalls by joking about testing unusual meats on sailors during "Operation Hell Cruise."
- The cold open concluded with Hegseth quoting Linkin Park’s “In the End” to ironically thank the sailors, blending dark humor with political satire.
