Key Highlights
- Saturday Night Live leveraged the upcoming midterm elections for a cold open skewering prominent Republican figures through a series of mock campaign ads.
- Cast members debuted and reprised impressions of GOP leaders, including Marcello Hernandez as Marco Rubio, Mikey Day as Mitch McConnell, Jeremy Culhane as JD Vance, Colin Jost as Pete Hegseth, and James Austin Johnson as Donald Trump.
- The sketch tackled political tensions and election integrity, culminating in a parody of Trump preparing to reject unfavorable election outcomes.
GOP Midterm Campaign Ads Parodied in ‘Saturday Night Live’ Cold Open
In its recent political satire, Saturday Night Live turned its attention toward the impending United States midterm elections, using the high-stakes political atmosphere to showcase impressions of prominent members of the Republican party. The cold open set its scene at the Republican National Committee, where RNC staffers portrayed by Andrew Dismukes and Ashley Padilla attempt to organize promotional get-out-the-vote advertisements featuring key conservative politicians.
The sequence opened with Marcello Hernandez portraying Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who used his campaign message to deliver an impassioned monologue in Spanish recounting how Donald Trump “tricked” everyone, including him. Following Rubio, Mikey Day appeared as a wheelchair-bound Senator Mitch McConnell. The portrayal saw McConnell flashing a peace sign and prematurely attempting to deliver the show’s signature kickoff, nearly cutting the sketch short with an ill-timed “Live from New York, it’s Saturday Night!”
High-Profile Impressions: From JD Vance to Pete Hegseth
The parade of parodies continued with an appearance by Vice President JD Vance, portrayed by Jeremy Culhane, though his commercial shoot and presidential ambitions were abruptly brushed aside by the campaign organizers. The energy of the sketch shifted dramatically with the entrance of Colin Jost portraying Pete Hegseth, bringing an aggressive persona to the set.
In character, Jost’s Hegseth downed a can of Beroālabeled as “Spider-Man’s new non-alcoholic bitch beer”āwhile hurling insults at the viewers, calling them “schlong donkeys” before explicitly urging the electorate to “do the gayest thing ever and vote.” The scene took a surreal detour as Hegseth launched into an unconventional slam poetry performance backed by bongos, heavily laced with homophobic and transphobic remarks.
James Austin Johnson Returns as Donald Trump
The satirical segment concluded with a staple of the show’s recent political lineup: James Austin Johnson’s impression of President Donald Trump. Stepping into the frame as the finale to the RNC’s voter push, Johnson’s Trump made it clear that he was fully prepared to contest and reject any midterm election returns that failed to favor the Republican party, blending election-denial humor with the sketch’s earlier chaotic musical elements.
Why This Matters
Political cold opens remain the cornerstone of Saturday Night Live‘s cultural footprint, particularly as national elections approach. By framing the sketch around internal party messaging and public-facing advertisements, the show highlights ongoing political narratives surrounding the Republican leadership structure, internal loyalty dynamics involving Trump, and aggressive messaging tactics targeting base turnout. These recurring impressions also serve to test and establish the show’s core comedic roster ahead of peak midterm election coverage.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which political figures were spoofed in the SNL cold open?
The sketch featured parodies of Secretary of State Marco Rubio (Marcello Hernandez), Senator Mitch McConnell (Mikey Day), Vice President JD Vance (Jeremy Culhane), Pete Hegseth (Colin Jost), and President Donald Trump (James Austin Johnson), alongside RNC staffers played by Andrew Dismukes and Ashley Padilla.
What premise drove the sketch’s storyline?
The cold open centered on RNC staffers attempting to film mobilization campaign commercials with notable Republican politicians ahead of the United States midterm elections, with each figure going off-script in increasingly erratic ways.
