Donald Trump was impaled for his recent press conference in East Palestine, Ohio during Saturday Night Live’s Cold Open. Framed as fake C-Span coverage, “SNL” starred player James Austin Johnson, who impersonated the former president as he addressed residents affected by the recent lane derailment and toxic chemical spill in the area.
“I looked at your river and it’s so shiny,” says Johnson, posing as a politician. “I’ve never seen more beautiful water – beautiful rainbows and colors. It is great. It’s wearing makeup, like Fenty Beauty Water.”
Johnson goes on to welcome Rihanna for her Feb. 12 halftime show at Super Bowl LVII and comment on her pregnancy. Johnson refocuses and blames the man he identifies as the only real culprit: “Who do we blame? We blame Pete Buttigieg,” Johnson claims, alluding to an ongoing investigation by a congressional committee into Buttigieg’s reaction to the train derailment. “That was his responsibility. Unfortunately he was too busy being a nerd and being gay.”
Chloe Fineman then appears alongside Johnson, portraying Georgia grand juror Emily Kohrs. The jury member has taken to social media in recent weeks to detail the course of the investigation into Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
As the sketch continues, Trump (Johnson) examines Kohrs (Fineman) to reveal whether or not he will be charged, to which she squeaks incomprehensibly in response.
The evening’s episode features Woody Harrelson as host and marks the actor’s entry into the “SNL” Five-Timers Club — an award coined by 10-time host Tom Hanks in recognition of people who have hosted the show at least five times previously . After the show’s cold opening, Harrelson delivered a controversial opening monologue, apparently aimed at the government and media response to COVID and vaccination mandates.
Recording artist Jack White, best known as the lead singer and guitarist for The White Stripes, will be a musical guest.
Saturday Night Live stars Kenan Thompson, Cecily Strong, Mikey Day, Heidi Gardner, Ego Nwodim, Bowen Yang, Chloe Fineman, Punkie Johnson and Andrew Dismukes, as well as Weekend Update co-hosts Michael Che and Colin Jost. Other well-known players include James Austin Johnson, Sarah Sherman, Marcello Hernandez, Molly Kearney, Michael Longfellow and Devon Walker.
The sketch show, currently in its 48th season, will continue to be helmed by creator and executive producer Lorne Michaels, with Liz Patrick serving as director. The series is produced by Broadway Video and SNL Studios and distributed by NBCUniversal Television and Streaming.
Viewers can tune into “Saturday Night Live” on Saturdays at 8:30 p.m. PT/11:30 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock, the network’s streaming service.