Live from New York, it’s Saturday Night! Saturday Night Live‘s 47th season kicked off in October of 2021, and since then has given us a slew of hilarious cold opens from immensely talented cast members and celebrity hosts. Check out some of the strongest cold opening skits that have premiered this season.
Roe v. Wade
A clever commentary on the Supreme Court’s leaked decision to presumably overturn Roe V. Wade, the sketch takes us back to medieval times in the year 1235. In the skit, host Benedict Cumberbatch tells two other men that they should make a law to ban abortion. In comes Cecily Strong, the town crier, to protest. “Shouldn’t women have the right to choose since having a baby means like a 50 percent chance of dying?” she retorted, to which Benedict’s character replies: “Yes but that’s why we’re also offering maternity leave. When you’re done with twenty years of continuous maternity, you can leave.”
A profound moment of moral clarity from 13th century England pic.twitter.com/loZfY5sb40
— Saturday Night Live – SNL (@nbcsnl) May 8, 2022
The three men then ignore the town crier’s arguments and agree to outlaw abortion when the one and only Kate McKinnon steps in, playing a witch who can see into the future. “These barbaric laws will someday be overturned by something called progress. And then, about 50 years after the progress, they’ll be like ‘and maybe we should undo the progress.'” She exclaimed before adding: “No matter how many choices they take away from women, we’ve always got the choice to keep fighting!” As the crowd erupted in applause.
Fox News Ukraine
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, SNL decided to do a sharp political satire sketch on Tucker Carlson and Laura Ingraham‘s interpretations of the event. Ingraham was played by Kate McKinnon while Carlson was played by Alex Moffat. “I called the president of Ukraine pathetic. He stayed and fought with his people in the war and I called him pathetic from a news desk in Washington,” Kate’s character commented. James Austin Johnson then stepped in with his finest Donald Trump impression, delving into amusing irrelevant ramblings in a hilariously accurate Trump voice. The sketch concluded with Mikey Day and Cecily Strong playing Donald Trump Jr. and Kimberly Guilfoyle as they performed a parody of “Shallow,” highlighting the Trump family’s desire to invade Ukraine themselves.
The Fox News Ukrainian Invasion Celebration Spectacular pic.twitter.com/OTWES5RMil
— Saturday Night Live – SNL (@nbcsnl) March 6, 2022
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Confirmation
Not shying away from the political side of things, cast member Ego Nwodim played Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first black woman to be voted into the Supreme Court Justice, in a hilarious opening sketch. The skit started with Joe Biden offering her congratulations. “Take a moment in this room. Feel the weight of history,” he said before exiting. Promptly after enters Kate McKinnon doing a whimsical Ruth Bader Ginsburg impression. “I’m so proud of you, you’re doing a great job…in the end, people do the right thing!” she said before dancing off to a round of applause.
RBG passes on some wisdom to Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson pic.twitter.com/PCwbIzc2Of
— Saturday Night Live – SNL (@nbcsnl) April 10, 2022
Keenan Thompson, playing Thurgood Marshall, then first black Supreme Court Justice, joins the stage. “Never give up. Democracy can be slow and messy, it stumbles, but overtime, it moves forward,” they are then joined by Harriet Tubman and Jackie Robinson to give their best advice to Jackson before erupting into the classic “Live from New York, its Saturday Night!”
Aidy’s Dream
Oscar Isaac nailed his SNL debut in a hilarious and raunchy opening sketch with Aidy Bryant. In the steamy skit, Aidy gets the chance to live out her fantasy while she and Oscar lust after each other intensely. “I must admit, I see you sexually. I don’t see you as like, someone who would like, run a school. I mean you are the most under 35 person I have ever met,” Oscar crooned before he picked up a guitar and began to sing an amusingly seductive tune.
Easter Wishes
In this cold opening with an ensemble cast, Kate McKinnon and Cecily Strong strike yet again with their best Anthony Fauci and Marjorie Taylor Greene impressions to wish everyone a happy Easter. Mikey Day comes in as Elon Musk, hilariously attempting to “buy Easter” while launching into a laugh that scarily resembled Elon’s. Jared Leto then makes an appearance, introducing himself as Jesus Christ before promoting his new movie Morbius. Alex Moffat then steals the show again with his signature Donald Trump impression, launching into a long and random monologue about the foods he enjoys during Easter.