Updated October 11, 2026, 10:07 a.m. ET
“SNL” is live from the USS Abraham Lincoln.
The sketch show’s latest cold open, on Oct. 10, spoofed the Lincoln’s recent return to San Diego after a more than 10-month deployment. Colin Jost reprized his role as Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, who told the sailors: “You are back home safely in sunny San Diego, which the president just asked Iran to blow up.” »
Hegseth de Jost then briefed the sailors on “what we have been doing on land, in case you immediately want to return to sea,” including plans to livestream the execution of former army major Nidal Malik Hasan in December.
“In December, as we get into the Christmas spirit, we’re going to execute a guy in a wheelchair live on television. That’s right, public executions are back, kind of like ‘Scrubs,'” he said, before unveiling a new logo for the War Department that he said had a “Nazi vibe.”
The cold open was rare without the presence of President Donald Trump’s James Austin Johnson. Johnson instead played Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
“Yes, 200,000 pounds of pork, beef and goat meat have been recalled, but I just want to emphasize that catfish, pony and cricket are viable proteins for any American family,” Johnson’s Kennedy announced. “But I want to thank you: we were able to detect these recalls earlier by testing the meats on your ship.”
Shane Gillis hosted the show with musical guest Rosalía, marking his third stint as host. As in his previous episodes, the comedian sparked backlash online over controversial jokes in his monologue, including one about women dressing like “whores” at the gym. Gillis also accidentally dropped an F-bomb, which exploded uncensored on the East Coast, during a sketch.
“Sorry about earlier,” he said during the goodnights, referring to the f-word incident.
Who will host ‘SNL’ next?
“SNL” is taking a brief hiatus after this week’s episode, with no new shows on October 17 or 24.
The show will return at the end of the month for a rare Halloween episode. “Obsession” star Inde Navarrette will host Oct. 31 with musical guest Gracie Abrams.
Gn entert
