‘SNL’ Skewers Trump’s Nobel Prize Jealousy and Cabinet ‘Monsters’

In the first episode of 2026, “Saturday Night Live” (SNL) delivered a sharp satire targeting President Donald Trump’s perceived obsession with the Nobel Prize. The cold open featured a faux news conference and a cabinet meeting, highlighting various pressing political issues.

SNL’s Satirical Take on Trump and Current Events

The show’s cast included Colin Jost, who portrayed a frantic Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth. Jeremy Culhane played Vice President JD Vance, who lamented about a recent trip to Greenland, referencing Trump’s prior threats to annex the territory from Denmark.

James Austin Johnson’s impersonation of a bewildered Trump opened the segment. He humorously claimed, “I got what I wanted — my very own someone else’s Nobel Prize,” alluding to Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado’s gesture of presenting her Nobel Peace Prize to Trump amid crisis in her country.

Key Moments from the Episode

• Trump’s mockery of capturing Nicolás Maduro, stating, “We did a reverse-Santa on him.”
• Referring to his cabinet as “various monsters and nightmares,” in a nod to Guillermo del Toro.
• Ashley Padilla’s portrayal of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, echoing Noem’s defense of an ICE shooting event.
• Jost’s over-the-top Hegseth, who boasted about military actions in Venezuela.

The humor continued as Padilla’s Noem drew laughter by asking, “Have we been perfect? Yes,” while making an unsettling recruitment pitch for ICE. Jost’s Hegseth exclaimed, “We tea-bagged their country,” reflecting a hyperbolic take on U.S. military endeavors.

Ending Tribute and Context

As the episode concluded, a tribute was paid to Bob Weir, the Grateful Dead’s founding member, who passed away on January 10 at the age of 78. The legendary band had previously appeared on SNL in 1978 and 1980.

With its sharp political satire and timely cultural references, SNL continues to engage audiences while critiquing the complexities of contemporary politics, showcasing how humor can illuminate serious issues.