Disappointed fans slam SNL for 'awful' Trump skits in lackluster first show back: 'Another flop'
Disappointed Saturday Night Live fans have blasted last night's show as unfunny, after the new season kicked off on a sour note.
The late-night sketch comedy show opened its 51st season with a jab at Donald Trump's crackdown on TV, with James Austin Johnson reprising his role as Trump.
Colin Jost was dropped in as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth as he gave an SNL rendition of his recent viral speech to top army brass earlier this week.
Jost had portrayed Hegseth as a boozed up frat commander hellbent on rewriting military culture.
'Our military will now have the same rules as any good frat party. No fat chicks, and if you're a fat dude, god damn it, you better be funny as hell!' Jost joked.
Johnson had interrupted, saying he was there to 'keep an eye on SNL', referring to pressure from the FCC over comments Jimmy Kimmel made about Charlie Kirk.
He had also referenced a 2003 birthday letter the president is alleged to have penned to pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.
'Oh, and Colin: "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', he said.
Those who tuned in for the new season, which was hosted by Bad Bunny, aired their grievances online - saying they expected more from it.
The late-night sketch comedy show opened its 51st season with a jab at Donald Trump 's crackdown on TV, with James Austin Johnson reprising his role as Trump
Those who tuned in for the new season, which was hosted by Bad Bunny, seen here, aired their grievances online
One user posted: 'Well SNL starts out with a big swing and miss on their cold open. I get they don't like Trump but I didn't know they also don't like jokes.'
Another added: 'Wow, they really showed him. SNL used to be funny', while replying to a clip of the cold open.
'Although I enjoy anyone who makes fun of Trump, but this was brutal! No one was laughing, it was bad.
'I'm afraid SNL is at it's lowest point, maybe time to say goodbye', one other user added.
One other added: 'Just starting SNL and not a good start to Season 51. Colin Jost as Hegseth was awful.
'Trump guy was still good though. I'm sure Bad Bunny will flop again', they posted to X.
Johnson also managed to sneak in a joke about the mysterious bruise that was seen on the president's hand in August.
'I'm just here keeping my eye on SNL, making sure they don't do anything too mean about me, and they better be careful, because I know late-night TV like the back of my hand,' Johnson said.
Colin Jost was dropped in as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth as he gave an SNL rendition of his recent viral speech
Those who tuned in for the new season, which was hosted by Bad Bunny, aired their grievances online - saying it fell short in terms of expectations
He showcased a makeup-caked hand that mirrored Trump's bruise, telling the audience: 'Not looking great right now. Gonna cover this up for the rest of my life'.
SNL had also poked fun at their fellow comedians who decided to participate in the Saudi-backed Riyadh Comedy Festival.
Johnson concluded the Cold Open with a joke about illegal immigration, asking the crew to 'keep an eye on Marcello,' referencing Latino cast member Marcello Hernández.
The Cold Open wasn't the only segment that got political during the season premiere; Jost returned to Weekend Update later in the show with his partner, Michael Che.
Che referenced recent news about peace discussions between Israel and Hamas, joking that you could 'tell Trump wrote the plan himself,' before cutting to a photo of a poem allegedly written to disgraced pedophile Jeffrey Epstein with Trump's signature.
The sketch comedy show poked fun at a recent speech Hegseth gave to military officials at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia
The White House repeatedly denied claims that Trump wrote the letter or had a friendship with Epstein.
Host Bad Bunny also shot back at his critics, which includes Fox News, over the controversial decision to let him perform the Super Bowl halftime show.
The Puerto Rican rapper, singer, and international best-selling artist was recently confirmed for Super Bowl LX in California in February.
That was despite a backlash from Donald Trump supporters after Bad Bunny had cited ICE agents as a reason he did not include any mainland US dates for his upcoming tour. 'It’s so shameful they picked someone who seems to hate America,' Trump ally Corey Lewandowski said.
The rapper - who was born Benito Antonio Martinez - was the host of 'Saturday Night Live' this week and during his opening monologue, he addressed his haters.
'You might not know this but I'm doing the Super Bowl halftime show and I'm very happy and I think everyone is happy about it - even Fox News,' Bad Bunny said.
A heavily-edited clip then played, stitching together the comments of various Fox anchors and pundits so that they said: 'Bad Bunny is my favorite musician and he should be the next president.'
