The concluding episode of Saturday Night Live’s 50th season made its appearance on May 17, 2025. Spread across a span of seven months, the season bestowed upon us a smorgasbord of 20 episodes which showcased a stellar line-up of flamboyant celebrities as hosts and music performers. While the show thrives on various forms of comedic sketches, their riffs on popular culture, satire, and personality-based comedy, the cold open sketches have seized most spotlight as they set the energetic and humorous tone preceding the opening credits.
Over time, several sketches have captured and held to the audience’s attention. Satirical political sketches and those overflowing with celebrity appearances became defining features of SNL’s 50th season. Noteworthy among them are the cold open sketches which garnered massive viewership for their clever take on contemporary events.
Taking the top spot in the most-watched cold open sketches was the ‘Elon Musk cold open’, aired as part of the 13th episode on March 1, 2025. The sketch served as a humorous critique of the political convocation between notable personalities, Donald Trump, J.D. Vance, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The sketch delivered a quip about the misplaced priorities of Trump and Vance, who seemed taken up by their need for a gratitude note from Zelenskyy, more than the urge to address pressing issues.
Territorial disputes and conflict resolution, rather than being the central discussion, took a backseat. Instead, they focused on Zelensky’s casual attire, with Trump commentating on the inappropriateness of it in relation to the meeting’s severity. Attention was then sidetracked to Elon Musk, who, not surprisingly, started discussing his dominion over DOGE.
The ‘Harris and Trump rallies cold open’ sketch was showcased right at the beginning of the series. This parody brought into light scenes from Harris and Trump rallies supposedly from the 2024 presidential campaign trail. While this sketch was laced with humor, it sadly reflected the superficial aspects of the campaign rather than focusing on substantial issues of public importance.
Portrayed by David Muir, the News anchor was seen alternately checking into both Harris’s and Trump’s rallies. Maya Rudolph made an appearance as Kamala Harris, capturing the more light-hearted moments from her campaign. Later, she was joined by Andy Samberg, assuming the role of Kamala’s spouse, Doug Emhoff, and Jim Gaffigan, appearing as her vice presidential mate, Tim Walz. While this might have been intended to grab viewers’ attention, it squarely missed highlighting serious political developments.
The focus then shifted to a Trump rally with James Austin Johnson reprising his role as the ex-president. He facetiously confused Kamala’s ethnicity, calling her African American instead of Indian. The attempt to bring in his own vice presidential mate, JD Vance, to slander their opposition further dragged the sketch into a territory of unnecessary mockery.
Another sketch that followed the theme from the initial Harris and Trump rally sketch was ‘Family Feud election 2024 cold open’. It saw Kenan Thompson as the host, Steve Harvey, in control of a feud between Trump’s and Harris’s terms. This sketch, more of a theatrical mockery than an informative parody, was the final fitting piece in the political satire puzzle of SNL’s 50th season.
Maya Rudolph came back yet again to portray Kamala Harris, and she was aptly complemented by Andy Samberg reprising his role as Doug Emhoff. Their team also included Jim Gaffigan as Tim Walz and Dana Carvey as Joe Biden. Sadly, the inclusion of these famous faces could not mask the lack of serious, substantive political discussions.
On the other side, James Austin Johnson stepped into Trump’s shoes, with a mere two allies on his side: his offspring, Donald Trump Jr., and running mate, JD Vance. In a setting designed to engage in thoughtful exchange, the characters found every opportunity they got to poke fun at each other, sidestepping the genuine issues and questions presented by the host, Steve Harvey.
Despite its rich tradition of top-tier satire, SNL’s 50th season gave priority to low-bar humor aimed at caricaturizing political rivals rather than offering well-structured critique or commentary. It’s a reminiscence of the relentless pursuit to outdoors each other through desperate attempts at hollow humor rather than sparking thoughtful discourse on vital political events.
The fact that these sketches garnered high viewership is a lamentable reflection of the viewer’s interests. Instead of seeking quality content that challenges their intellect and provokes earnest discussions about the political landscape, it seems some are content with this shallow spectacle of political mockery.
Regrettably, SNL’s 50th season seems to have missed the mark in presenting engaging political satire, instead offering a stage for unnecessary ridicule and jests at the expense of thoughtful dialogue on weighty current affairs. The hope remains that future productions maintain comedic integrity while encouraging enlightening discourse on the pressing issues at hand.