SNL Cold Open Mocks Biden-Trump-Pence Classified Documents Scandals With Parody Merrick Garland Presser
Saturday Night Live kicked off the 11th episode of the new season by lampooning the classified documents issues that have plagued President Joe Biden and former Vice President Mike Pence and ex-President Donald Trump.
Michael B. Jordan was the guest host on this week’s edition of Saturday Night Live. Lil Baby was the musical guest. Vibe reported on Jordan’s hosting gig and the rapper’s guest spot, noting it will be a first for both:
Sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live has a few fresh faces scheduled to host and perform in 2023. Announced Jan. 5, Michael B. Jordan and Lil Baby are booked as the special guests for January 28th’s episode.
The Atlanta rapper recently released his third studio album back in October, which boasts popular tracks including “In A Minute,” “Heyy,” and “California Breeze.” Now fans will get to see Baby possibly perform some of their favorite songs from the 23-track LP on live TV.
Premiering Saturday (Jan. 28) at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBC, viewers are in for a treat as both stars take the SNL stage for the first time.
But before Jordan could begin his hosting stint, the cast of the long-running sketch show performed its 937th cold open, a long-running gag in which the show performs a parody — usually related to current events — that ends with performers breaking character and exclaiming “Live from New York, it’s Saturday Night!”
The very first cold open — on October 11, 1975 — lasted only 96 seconds and featured Chevy Chase uttering the catchphrase as a confused production assistant on a new show that was then called simply NBC’s Saturday Night. Early cold opens — colds open? — featured Chase performing a pratfall, often in character as then-President Gerald Ford.
It has evolved into an often elaborate and anticipated part of the show that can run closer to ten minutes, and almost always parody current events. Although often uneven in quality and a magnet for jabs from critics, the cold open is also often the most talked-about part of the show.
This week’s cold open featured a parody of a Merrick Garland press conference that took swipes at the current and former presidents and vice presidents of the recent past.
Watch above via NBC’s Saturday Night Live.
