The first episode of Season 51 of Saturday Night Live wasted no time in skewering President Donald Trump.
The opening sketch spoofed “Secretary of War” Pete Hegseth's recent meeting with top generals. Colin Jost, playing Hegseth, had his speech interrupted by James Austin Johnson as President Donald Trump, cutting in to claim that the real threat to America is “late night TV!”
The episode was hosted by Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny, and the musical guest was Doja Cat.
Bad Bunny's appearance on SNL came shortly after he was revealed as the upcoming Super Bowl halftime show performer. The announcement had a mixed reception, with some MAGA conservatives angry that a majority of his set will likely be in Spanish. He poked fun at those upset by showing an edited version of news clips where Fox News hosts appeared to praise him.
He also addressed their concerns in a monologue conducted partly in Spanish. When it concluded, he added in English: “If you didn’t understand what I just said, you have four months to learn.”
There were also guest appearances by Jon Hamm, Benicio Del Toro and KPop Demon Hunters group HUNTR/X.
KEY POINTS
- What did Bad Bunny say in Spanish during his monologue?
- Weekend Update takes aim at government shutdown and Diddy's sentencing
- KPop Demon Hunters make an appearance
- Who is the new cast of Saturday Night Live?
SNL won't let Trump forget about Epstein
09:00 , Kevin PerryDuring the show’s cold open, James Austin Johnson, in character as President Trump, turned to Colin Jost and said: “May every day be another wonderful secret... That was a quote from a poem I wrote to a horrible man I’ve never met before.”
The actor was quoting Trump’s alleged 50th birthday card to Jeffrey Epstein, that the president has denied writing. The president has sued the Wall Street Journal for publishing the contents of the card. Congress published the card last month after it was handed over by the deceased sex offender’s estate. Trump has never been accused of any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein.
The Independent’s Kelly Rissman has more on this season’s pointed cold open:
SNL back with a bang as Trump sketch rips president over wars, late-night and Epstein
How the Trump administration responded to Bad Bunny's Super Bowl announcement
08:39 , Kevin PerryBad Bunny’s decision to address the furore around the announcement he’ll perform next year’s Super Bowl halftime show came after a top Trump administration advisor said that federal immigration agents may be present at the event in February.
“There is nowhere that you can provide safe haven to people who are in this country illegally. Not the Super Bowl and nowhere else,” Department of Homeland advisor Corey Lewandowski said during an interview aired Wednesday with Benny Johnson’s The Benny Show.
“We will find you,” he continued. “We will apprehend you. We will put you in a detention facility, and we will deport you. So know that that is a very real situation under this administration, which is completely contrary to what how it used to be.”
Michael Che joked about the threat during Weekend Update, saying: “You know, to catch all those farm workers who can afford Super Bowl tickets!”
What did Bad Bunny say in Spanish during his monologue?
08:01 , Kevin Perry
Bad Bunny used his monologue at the start of the show to talk about what it means to him to perform at next year’s Super Bowl, beginning in English: “I know that people all around the world who love my music are happy...” before continuing in Spanish: “Especially all of the Latinos and Latinas in the world and here in the United States who have worked to open doors. It’s more than a win for myself, it’s a win for all of us. Our footprints and our contribution in this country... no one will ever be able to take that away or erase it.”
Benicio Del Toro among star-studded guest cast
07:30 , Kevin Perry
Tonight’s SNL premiere was a particularly star-studded one, with Jon Hamm and Benicio Del Toro both joining Bad Bunny for sketches, along with a surprise appearance by KPop Demon Hunters group HUNTR/X.
New cast members used sparingly
07:00 , Kevin PerryTonight’s SNL was billed as kicking off a new era for the show as five new cast members entered the mix.
Newbies Ben Marshall, Veronika Slowikowska, Tommy Brennan, Jeremy Culhane will all hope to impress as the season goes on.
It was Florida stand-up Kam Patterson who was this episode’s most prominent new face, given his own Weekend Update segment slot to complain about a certain word he can’t say on TV:
New cast member Kam Patterson at the Update desk! pic.twitter.com/SadRgkHmrb
— Saturday Night Live - SNL (@nbcsnl) October 5, 2025
‘Daddy’s watching!’ SNL is back with a bang as Trump sketch rips president over wars, late-night and Epstein
06:28 , Kevin PerryTonight’s first sketch was a pointed riposte to President Trump, who has made no secret of his dislike of being made fun of by late night shows.
“We are facing the greatest threat to democracy the world has ever known,” Colin Jost, playing “Secretary of War” Pete Hegseth, said.
“Late night TV!” James Austin Johnson, playing Trump, cut in.
Here’s The Independent’s Kelly Rissman with more on the fiery cold open:
SNL back with a bang as Trump sketch rips president over wars, late-night and Epstein
Weekend Update takes aim at government shutdown and Diddy's sentencing
06:07 , Kevin PerryColin Jost opened the first Weekend Update of the season by joking that government finally represented the people “when it completely shut down.”
Michael Che also weighed in on Diddy’s sentencing. Here’s their take on the week’s headlines:
First Weekend Update of the season! pic.twitter.com/MxCPsrW849
— Saturday Night Live - SNL (@nbcsnl) October 5, 2025
Doja Cat brings joie de vivre to SNL
05:49 , Kevin Perry
Doja Cat’s two musical performances tonight saw her radically shift looks and styles. For her first song, the spiky "Aaahh Men!", she donned a blonde Madonna wig. For the second, “Gorgeous”, she appeared on a huge throne in the shape of a rose. Both songs are drawn from her recent fifth album Vie.
Benicio Del Toro cameos in sketch about the birth of Spanish
05:40 , Kevin PerryThe massive success of Nate Bargatze’s “Washington’s Dream” skit from a couple of years ago has clearly inspired a newfound love of historical sketches from the SNL writing crew.
Tonight we get one about the birth of the Spanish language, starring Bad Bunny, Marcello Hernandez and special guest star Benicio Del Toro.
just some guys inventing spanish pic.twitter.com/g6E881ZHFa
— Saturday Night Live - SNL (@nbcsnl) October 5, 2025
Dobby the House Elf weighs in on trans rights
05:35 , Kevin Perry
The night’s most chaotic segment sees Bowen Yang playing Dobby the House Elf from the Harry Potter books, mocking author JK Rowling for her controversial views on trans rights.
Yang jokes about Rowling’s control of him, and the sketch grows increasingly absurd as his costume comes apart as he starts punishing himself for displeasing his master.
Dobby the House Elf stops by the Weekend Update desk pic.twitter.com/h71PRFV6Be
— Saturday Night Live - SNL (@nbcsnl) October 5, 2025
"He’s honestly just being a good samaritan"
05:17 , Kevin PerryThis sketch about sperm donation goes to all sorts of unexpected places:
he’s honestly just being a good samaritan pic.twitter.com/KnRrWaLNgk
— Saturday Night Live - SNL (@nbcsnl) October 5, 2025
KPop Demon Hunters make an appearance
05:14 , Kevin Perry
One of the nice things about the first episode of a new SNL season is that the show always has plenty of pop cultural material to pull from. Along with all the political jokes and sketches about Chat GPT, there’s also time for an enjoyable skit about the ubiquity of Netflix hit KPop Demon Hunters.
EJAE, Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami, the three vocalists who make up HUNTR/X, all make guest appearances performing their massive hit “Golden”.
kpop demon hunters: based on a true story pic.twitter.com/kR63bP06iM
— Saturday Night Live - SNL (@nbcsnl) October 5, 2025
What did Bad Bunny say in Spanish in his monologue?
05:01 , Kevin PerryBad Bunny addressed his excitement about headlining next year’s Super Bowl during his opening monologue, joking that: “Everybody’s Happy About It” after playing an collection of Fox News clips edited to make it appear they’re praising him.
He also added a few comments in Spanish about what the moment means for the Latino community.
He began in English: “I know that people all around the world who love my music are happy...” before continuing in Spanish: “Especially all of the Latinos and Latinas in the world and here in the United States who have worked to open doors. It’s more than a win for myself, it’s a win for all of us. Our footprints and our contribution in this country... no one will ever be able to take that away or erase it.”
Watch the full monologue below:
Bad Bunny's monologue! pic.twitter.com/pjS0Ejckcg
— Saturday Night Live - SNL (@nbcsnl) October 5, 2025
Jon Hamm makes surprise appearance during Bad Bunny's monologue
04:48 , Kevin Perry
Bad Bunny uses his opening monologue to explain that he’s only hosting, not appearing as musical guest, because he’s “tired” after his recent 31 show residency in Puerto Rico.
He jokes that some of his celebrity guests at the show were on drugs, and without naming any names plays a clip of Mad Men star Jon Hamm looking “well refreshed” while dancing in a bucket hat and a tropical two-piece.
Hamm’s actually in the audience for the monologue - in the same outfit, and Bad Bunny jokes he’s actually “Juan Jamon.”
Bad Bunny then speaks in Spanish about his excitement about playing next year’s Super Bowl, before adding: “If you didn’t understand what I just said, you have four months to learn.”
SNL skewers Department of War in cold open
04:35 , Kevin PerryTonight’s Saturday Night Live opens with a sketch spoofing “Secretary of War” Pete Hegseth's recent meeting with top generals to discuss rebranding the Department of Defense as the “Department of War.”
Colin Jost plays Hegseth, yelling about how “our military is gay as hell.” His monologue is interrupted by James Austin Johnson as Trump, cutting in to claim that the real threat to America is “late night television.”
Trump talks the FCC and recaps his summer pic.twitter.com/hSxYWUuk3U
— Saturday Night Live - SNL (@nbcsnl) October 5, 2025
Watch: Bad Bunny and Doja Cat appear for SNL promos
03:45 , Ariana BaioHow the Trump administration responded to Bad Bunny's Super Bowl announcement
03:00 , Josh MarcusFederal immigration agents may be present at February‘s Super Bowl, where Puerto Rican star Bad Bunny will perform at halftime, according to a top Trump administration advisor.
“There is nowhere that you can provide safe haven to people who are in this country illegally. Not the Super Bowl and nowhere else,” Department of Homeland advisor Corey Lewandowski said during an interview aired Wednesday with Benny Johnson’s The Benny Show.
“We will find you,” he continued. “We will apprehend you. We will put you in a detention facility, and we will deport you. So know that that is a very real situation under this administration, which is completely contrary to what how it used to be.”
SNL cast member announces they’ve been axed from the show after ‘gut punch of a call’
02:15 , Amber RaikenSaturday Night Live star Emil Wakim is the latest cast member to announce their departure from the show.
The comedian, 27, joined the cast of SNL in 2024 for its 50th season, often appearing in the “Weekend Update” segment or performing stand-up bits as himself or various characters. In one memorable December segment, he played Luigi Mangione, the man charged with the murder of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
However, Wakim is now leaving SNL after only one season. “I won’t be returning to SNL next year. It was a gut-punch of a call to get, but I’m so grateful for my time there,” he wrote on Instagram Wednesday, while sharing some behind-the-scenes photos from the NBC set.
Read more here:
SNL cast member announces they’ve been axed from the show after ‘gut punch of a call’
Aimee Lou Wood says she doesn’t regret calling out ‘mean’ Saturday Night Live sketch
01:30 , Shahana YasminAimee Lou Wood says that she does not regret calling out Saturday Night Live for their sketch mocking her appearance in The White Lotus.
In April, shortly after her season of The White Lotus was released, the US variety show saw comedian Sarah Sherman imitating Wood in a skit parodying the hit HBO series.
Wood called out the sketch after it aired, describing its depiction of her as “mean and unfunny”.
In a new interview, Lou Wood said she didn’t regret addressing the sketch publicly and standing up for herself.
“I don't regret saying it because it was breaking a pattern, which is what I would usually do – what I did when I was younger and got bullied,” she told BBC News.
Bad Bunny teases sketch costume in Instagram Story
Sunday 5 October 2025 00:45 , Ariana BaioBad Bunny gave fans a sneak peek at one of his costumes for Saturday Night Live in an Instagram Story, where he appears to be getting a wig installed by the hair and makeup team.
“SNL esta noche,” the musician wrote in the story.
Michael Che says Kanye West apologized years after heated SNL confrontation
Sunday 5 October 2025 00:00 , Inga ParkelSaturday Night Live star Michael Che has revealed that Kanye West apologized to him years later for a dig he made during his 2018 appearance on the show.
The controversial 48-year-old rapper — now the subject of the new documentary In Whose Name? — appeared on the long-running NBC sketch series as a guest performer.
During the episode, West went off on an unscripted rant, telling the audience at one point: “You can’t always have, every time you have a Black subject matter like [Bill] Cosby, that you have to have a Black comedian talking about him.”
Appearing Thursday on SiriusXM’s radio show The Bonfire, Che was questioned by host Robert Kelly whether that was “the last time you talked to [West]” or if they’ve talked since.
“No, actually. And that’s another reason why I don’t really like talking about it,” Che said. “Because the next time I saw him was years later, I remember. It was the Eddie Murphy show, and every Black person in Hollywood was at this show. Like, literally. It was crazy. It was people that had never came to SNL.”
Che remembered: “I’m walking through the hallway and [Kanye’s] coming out the elevator bay and as soon as he sees me, he goes, ‘I owe you an apology.’
“And I hadn’t seen him in years. I didn’t even know if he remembered that that happened because he was saying so much. And he was like, ‘I owe you an apology.’ And we talked and I was like, I never brought it up again.”
Season 51 cast members of Saturday Night Live
Saturday 4 October 2025 23:40 , Ariana BaioFive new cast members are joining familiar faces on this season of Saturday Night Live
Tommy Brennan, a stand-up comedian
Jeremy Culhane, an actor and improv comic
Ben Marshall, a member of Please Don’t Destroy
Kam Patterson, a stand-up comedian
Veronika Slowikowska, an actress and comedian known for her online sketch show
They will join the current cast: Kenan Thompson, Colin Jost, Michael Che, Mikey Day, Bowen Yang, Sarah Sherman, James Austin Johnson, Marcello Hernández, Chloe Fineman, and Andrew Dismukes.
Lorne Michaels opens up on the future of SNL in Trump’s America: ‘Denouncing him doesn’t work’
Saturday 4 October 2025 23:00 , Io DoddsSaturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels has insisted that Donald Trump's presidency will not have a chilling effect on political comedy — and downplayed the notion that Stephen Colbert's firing was an act of censorship.
In an interview with the online news site Puck, the "famously elusive" 80-year-old TV magnate opened up about the future of TV comics under a president who has repeatedly sued or even threatened to shut down media outlets that displeased him.
"Whatever crimes Trump is committing, he’s doing it in broad daylight," Michaels said. "There is absolutely nothing that the people who vote for him—or me—don’t know. You know what I mean?
Lorne Michaels opens up on SNL’s future under Trump: ‘Denouncing him doesn’t work’
SNL’s Devon Walker calls show ‘sometimes toxic as hell’ as he announces exit
Saturday 4 October 2025 22:00 , Tom MurraySaturday Night Live star Devon Walker has announced his departure from the show after three seasons.
The 34-year-old comedian joined the cast in 2022 after writing for the Netflix sitcom Big Mouth and parodied celebrities and politicians, such as Michael Strahan and Tim Scott, during his time on the NBC sketch show.
Read more here:
SNL’s Devon Walker calls show ‘sometimes toxic as hell’ as he announces exit
Watch: Bad Bunny and Doja Cat appear for SNL promos
Saturday 4 October 2025 21:30 , Ariana BaioWho is Bad Bunny?
Saturday 4 October 2025 21:00 , Ariana BaioBad Bunny is the stage name of Puerto Rican singer and rapper Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio.
With hit songs such as “Tití Me Preguntó” and “Yo Perreo Sola,” Bad Bunny, 31, is largely credited with making Spanish-language music mainstream in the United States.
Bad Bunny rose to prominence in 2016 with his song “Soy Peor.” He was featured on Cardi B’s widely popular song “I Like It” in 2018.
Recently, Bad Bunny has begun stepping more into acting, appearing in Happy Gilmore 2 and Caught Stealing.
Doja Cat to make her SNL debut
Saturday 4 October 2025 20:30 , Ariana BaioDoja Cat will be the musical guest on the season premiere of Saturday Night Live – the first time the singer and rapper is on the show.
Doja Cat, real name, Amala Ratna Zandile Dlamini, is promoting her new album, Vie.
Who’s in and who’s out ahead of season 51 premiere?
Saturday 4 October 2025 20:00 , Caitlin Hornik, Inga Parkel, Tom MurrayAhead of the season 51 premiere of Saturday Night Live this weekend — and after boss Lorne Michaels promised to make some significant changes — several cast members exited the hit sketch comedy show following the hiring of five new faces.
Who else is hosting SNL this season?
Saturday 4 October 2025 18:30 , Caitlin HornikHosts and musical artists have been announced for the first three episodes of Saturday Night Live Season 51.
SNL alum Amy Poehler will make her return as the October 11 host, with Role Model as the musical guest. Poehler was a cast member from 2001-2008 and hosted the Weekend Update sketch in her later years on the show. The episode marks Role Model’s SNL debut.
Then, Sabrina Carpenter has been picked to both host and perform during the October 18 episode. While the episode would mark Carpenter’s SNL hosting debut, she appeared as the musical guest during the Season 49 finale.
Bad Bunny to host SNL as he is announced Super Bowl halftime performer
Saturday 4 October 2025 18:15 , Ariana BaioBad Bunny is hosting Season 51 premiere of Saturday Night Live, which is happening shortly after it was revealed he will be the Super Bowl halftime performer.
Prominent MAGA figures raged after the NFL announced Bad Bunny will headline the 2026 Super Bowl halftime show.
The Puerto Rican rapper and singer was labeled a “massive Trump hater,” an “anti-ICE activist,” and slammed for having “no songs in English” by some of President Donald Trump’s most loyal supporters.
Read more from Rhian Lubin:
MAGA rages after NFL picks ‘Trump Hater’ Bad Bunny for 2026 Super Bowl halftime show
Who is the new cast of SNL?
Saturday 4 October 2025 18:05 , Ariana BaioFive cast members announced their departure from the late-night comedy sketch show at the end of the last season, meaning new comedians are joining the mix.
The new comics include:
Tommy Brennan, a stand-up comedian; Jeremy Culhane, an actor and improv comic; Ben Marshall, a member of Please Don’t Destroy; Kam Patterson, a stand-up comedian; and Veronika Slowikowska, an actress and comedian known for her online sketch show.
They will join the current cast: Kenan Thompson, Colin Jost, Michael Che, Mikey Day, Bowen Yang, Sarah Sherman, James Austin Johnson, Marcello Hernández, Chloe Fineman, and Andrew Dismukes.
Behind-the-scene photos show Bad Bunny preparing to host for a second time
Saturday 4 October 2025 17:50 , Ariana Baio.jpg)
Where to watch SNL tonight
Saturday 4 October 2025 17:31 , Ariana BaioViewers hoping to see the season premiere of Saturday Night Live can watch it live on NBC at 11:30 p.m. ET or stream it on Peacock.
For those without a Peacock subscription or cable, sketches are typically uploaded to YouTube after the show airs.
Anyone not willing to stay up late to watch the show can stream the episode on Peacock on Sunday.
Welcome to the Independent's live blog
Saturday 4 October 2025 17:23 , Ariana BaioWelcome to The Independent’s live blog coverage of Saturday Night Live, which is set to return to television tonight with host Bad Bunny and musical guest Doja Cat
