The latest episode of Saturday Night Live took aim at U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, using a Pentagon-themed cold open to lampoon his reportedly volatile temperament and reputation for heavy drinking.
Jost Channels Hegseth's Prickly Persona
During the December 6th broadcast, Colin Jost portrayed the defense secretary in a parody press conference. The sketch opened with Jost's Hegseth storming into the room, chest-bumping a staffer and berating assembled journalists before reluctantly taking questions.
"So you got questions for me? Fine! Pretend like I’m a random fishing boat and fire away," Jost quipped. This line was a direct jab at the controversy surrounding U.S. open-water attacks on boats suspected of smuggling drugs, a policy associated with the Trump administration.
Sketch Tackles Serious Allegations with Satire
The comedy turned to darker subject matter when the parody Hegseth was questioned about reports he ordered strikes on survivors of a September operation. "First of all, that kind of cruel, heartless act has no place in ‘Operation Kill Everybody,’" Jost retorted. He then added, "Second, I wasn’t even in the room when it happened."
The sketch then leaned into allegations about Hegseth's personal conduct. Jost's character claimed he was "so jacked up after the first strike" he had to make an emergency call to his sponsor—quickly correcting himself to "a guy I met at an anonymous meeting." The bit culminated in a chaotic rant about craving alcohol, ending with the exclamation, "It’s booze."
Satirical Jab at Rising Death Toll
When pressed to confirm the death toll from attacks on alleged drug-smuggling boats—which reports indicate has surpassed 80 people—Jost's Hegseth responded with smug indifference. "Let’s just say, if I had a drink for every Venezuelan we’ve killed, I’d really like that number of drinks," he said.
The cold open served as a potent example of Saturday Night Live using humour to critique both the personal character of a public official and the serious, often lethal, consequences of military policy. By blending the controversy around Hegseth's temperament with the grave issue of civilian casualties, the sketch highlighted the intersection of personal conduct and national security decisions.
