Saturday Night Live returned to television screens with a sharp satirical focus on current events, opening its latest episode by handing cast member Colin Jost a prominent political promotion. In the show’s cold open, Jost stepped into the spotlight suited up as Pete Hegseth, the high-profile leader of the newly rebranded Department of War—formerly known as the Department of Defense.
The comedic sketch centered around Hegseth attempting to deliver a triumphant welcome-home address to the exhausted crew of the USS Abraham Lincoln. The real-life naval carrier recently returned to San Diego Bay after enduring an arduous 10-month deployment at sea, marking one of the longest continuous naval deployments the United States military has seen since the Vietnam War. While the homecoming should have been a straightforward moment of national pride and celebration, the sketch quickly turned the event into a comedic interrogation of recent administrative changes and Pentagon rebranding efforts.
As Jost’s Hegseth took to the podium to celebrate the sailors’ monumental endurance and safe return, it quickly became apparent that his victory lap would not go according to plan. The returning service members made it explicitly clear from the outset that they were harboring some serious grievances. Rather than basking in praise from leadership, the crew used the opportunity to voice their discontent with the current state of military leadership and, more specifically, to press Hegseth on the Pentagon’s controversial new aesthetic choices.
Chief among the sailors’ concerns was a sharp interrogation regarding the military’s newly unveiled emblem. The insignia, which has sparked widespread public discourse and confusion, features a heavily stylized eagle design that immediately drew skeptical scrutiny from the ranks. Confronted by bewildered and unimpressed sailors demanding answers about the stylistic direction of the new branding, Jost’s Hegseth attempted to defuse the tension on stage with a quick and defensive clarification.
"It’s an American eagle, with a Nazi vibe," Hegseth hastily explained to the crowd in the sketch, leaning directly into the absurd public discourse surrounding the Pentagon’s visual rebrand.
The comedic skewering did not stop with naval logistics and controversial branding. Later in the cold open, the sketch welcomed another surprise political impression, mixing cabinet departments for maximum comedic effect. James Austin Johnson, who has become widely recognized for his recurring impressions of Donald Trump on the long-running NBC sketch comedy series, took on a brand new persona for the night, popping up as Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Johnson’s appearance as RFK Jr. provided a notable change of pace for the cold open, allowing the political satire to pivot from military affairs to domestic public health. Stepping up to address the newly returned sailors, the fictionalized Health Secretary offered reassurance about the current domestic landscape they had been isolated from for nearly a year. He enthusiastically assured the weary crew that the country they had just returned to was healthier than ever—though he delivered this optimistic assessment with a glaring caveat, acknowledging the handful of strange new viruses and health concerns that had recently cropped up across the nation amid a series of recent food-borne illness outbreaks.
By blending real-world headlines regarding the grueling deployment of the USS Abraham Lincoln, controversial administrative rebrandings, and ongoing public health discussions, Saturday Night Live used its signature cold open to capture the absurdity of contemporary political culture. Through the combined performances of Colin Jost and James Austin Johnson, the show highlighted the growing disconnect between high-ranking government officials and the everyday realities—and aesthetic concerns—faced by the American public and military personnel alike.
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