With a helping hand from late-night television hosts, the “Saturday Night Live” Cold Open shifted focus from the impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump to his reception at the NATO summit in London.
“This week, during the NATO conference in London, foreign leaders were caught on a hot mic making fun of President Trump,” an on-screen intro for the Cold Open read. “This included Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who Trump had considered a friend. Some dismissed it as petty high school gossip, but you should have seen what happened in the NATO cafeteria.”
In footage of a reception for NATO leaders at Buckingham Palace Tuesday night, Johnson can be heard asking Macron, "is that why you were late?" Trudeau then responds "he was late because he takes a 40-minute press conference off the top." The Canadian leader later confirmed that he was referring to Trump’s unscheduled question-and-answer session with journalists.
On Wednesday, Trump called Trudeau “two-faced” for making the comments.
The “SNL” parody continues the gossip in an imagined NATO cafeteria.
Heidi Gardner and Chloe Fineman start the skit as Denmark’s and Findland’s leaders, respectively, who swoon as the leaders of the “cool countries” enter.
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Trudeau (“Tonight Show” host and “SNL” alum Jimmy Fallon) and Macron (“Ant-man” star Paul Rudd) saunter into the cafeteria in matching suits as cool rock music plays in the background. A comedic Johnson (“Late, Late Show” host James Corden) enters with slightly less cool music, and the three take over a table occupied by the Romanian leader (Mikey Day).
When Trump (Alec Baldwin) walks in with a tray full of hamburgers, Macron starts describing how Trump rambled on for 45 minutes during what was supposed to be a short photo session.
The trio even pulls German Chancellor Angela Merkel (Kate McKinnon) into the mix when they call her over to fill a seat that Baldwin’s Trump tries to sit in. Trump is forced to sit with Latvia’s leader (Alex Moffat) at the “losers’ table.”
The skit ends with the cafeteria scene going dark, as First Lady Melania Trump (Cecily Strong) uses the moment to advertise her real life anti-bullying campaign, "Be Best."
“Bullying is a serious problem, especially against President Trump,” Melania Trump says. “It’s not nice. He would never do it to you, so please, European leaders, be best.”
Killing two birds with one stone, Melania then uses her stage time to advertise Peloton, an exercise bike company whose new ad critics have called sexist and cringey.
“Also, are you scared woman who’s trapped inside a mansion?” Melania Trump asks. “Why not imagine biking away from it all on Peloton.”
Host Jennifer Lopez graced the stage in a tuxedo to list some of the ways she’s “been so blessed” this year.
“I got what every girl from the Bronx dreams of: Proposed to by a Yankee,” Jenny from the Block said of her recent engagement to former New York Yankees player Alex Rodriguez.
Some of her other feats include slaying the 2019 Met Gala in New York — “A doctor diagnosed it on the spot as a fourth-degree slay,” Lopez said — her upcoming performance in the Super Bowl Halftime Show, walking the runway in Milan for the first time in a dress she wore 20 years ago, and turning 50.
“Did she say she’s 50?” cast member Beck Bennett asks just before his head explodes.
“What I really want to say to everyone watching out there is the best is yet to come,” Lopez said. “People try to write you off. It’s all B.S. None of us have a shelf life.”
“They tried to count me out so many times,” Lopez continued. “But I’m still here.”
While singing a rendition of “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town,” some of the Radio City Rockettes joined her on stage. Just as the number ended, Lopez shredded her tuxedo for the very same green dress she wore on the Milan runway.
Colin Jost opened this week’s “Weekend Update,” with Democrats’ announcement that they’ll be moving towards impeachment before Christmas.
“So Trump was right,” Jost starts. “A lot of Americans will be saying Merry Christmas again.”
Michael Che described Trump’s warning to France about levying counter-tariffs on French wine, and noted that “all of Trump’s tariffs are just based on lazy stereotypes.”
“If it was a black country, he’d probably tax those Popeyes chicken sandwiches,” Che said.
House Speaker Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., (Kate McKinnon) joined the “Weekend Update” desk to comment on her reaction to a journalist asking if she hates Trump.
“You never know who is self-identifying as a journalist these days,” McKinnon’s Pelosi said. “That word doesn’t mean what it used to. Thank you for the lively debate Brietbart Ryan Seacrest.”
Pelosi also took the time to publicly pray for the president.
“If he has to be president, please make him a little better at any of it,” Pelosi prayed. “And please take him. Not to Heaven or anything, just somewhere else, just for a little while. Momma needs a break.”
The desk also commented on the news that rapper Post Malone was Spotify’s most-streamed artist this year and exercise equipment company Peloton’s heavily criticized new ad.
Jules (Beck Bennett), who “sees things a little differently,” also joined the segment to talk about his holiday traditions and perspectives.
North Carolina rapper Jonathan Kirk, who goes by his stage name DaBaby, performed “BOP” with a cadre of dancers for his first set in his debut as an “SNL” musical guest. Near the end of the song, dance group and “America's Best Dance Crew” 2008 winners the Jabbawockeez joined him onstage as he finished the song.
DaBaby performed “Suge,” which is an ode to record producer Suge Knight, for his second set, complete with the rapper making a stack of cash rain on the stage. Knight is serving a 28-year sentence for a hit-and-run incident on the set of the “Straight Out of Compton” movie. The Jabbawockeez again joined the performance.
