Saturday Night Live mocked US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in its latest cold open. The comedy sketch made fun of the two members of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet through jokes about the military, public executions, health concerns and food safety.
In the October 10 episode, SNL showed Hegsethplayed by Colin Jost, and RFK Jr., played by James Austin Johnson, delivering speeches to sailors aboard the USS Lincoln. The sailors had recently completed a 322-day deployment.
SNL mocks Pete Hegseth over sailors’ struggles
The sketch began with Jost’s Hegseth character walking out wearing an ammunition belt made from bottles of Fireball Cinnamon Whiskey. He then told the sailors he was honoured to address the brave men and women before asking how they were doing, according to TV Insider.
When one sailor said, “We’re bad,” Hegseth pretended to hear “awesome” instead. The joke portrayed him as ignoring the sailors’ actual feelings and pretending that everything was going well.
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Hegseth congratulated the sailors on returning safely to San Diego after seven months at war. He also joked that Trump had just asked Iran to bomb the city. The character then claimed that only eight sailors had attempted suicide, including two while he was speaking.
Hegseth praised the sailors for carrying out more than 3,000 combat missions. He claimed there had been zero casualties and zero flight mishapsbut added that there had also been “zero working toilets.” The joke contrasted the military’s achievements with the poor conditions faced by service members, according to TV Insider.
Hegseth jokes about public executions
Hegseth then told the sailors what they had missed while away from home. He announced that a man in a wheelchair would be executed on live television in December. Calling it the return of public executions, he compared the idea to the television comedy Scrubs.
Hegseth added that if the man somehow survived the firing squad, he would have to fight boxer and internet personality Jake Paul. The joke combined the subject of public executions with celebrity boxing.
SNL makes fun of Department of War logo
Hegseth also told the sailors that he had recently unveiled a new logo for the Department of War. When a sailor asked whether it was a Nazi eagle, Hegseth replied that it was an American eagle with a “Nazi vibe”, according to TV Insider.
When the sailor insisted that the logo looked identical to a Nazi eagle, Hegseth responded with a crude sexual joke about the sailor’s mother. The exchange continued the sketch’s mockery of Hegseth and the controversial appearance of the fictionalised logo.
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RFK Jr. jokes about US health problems
After Hegseth’s speech, Johnson’s RFK Jr. character took the podium. He began by declaring that America was healthier than ever, setting up another series of jokes about public health and the secretary’s approach to health issues.
RFK Jr. said he wanted to officially rename cold and flu season as “cold and flue and listeria and measles and trench brain season.” The exaggerated list included illnesses and health conditions to mock the secretary’s public health messaging, according to TV Insider.
The character also claimed that officials were investigating something called “testicular dementia.” The line was another deliberately absurd health-related joke in the sketch.
SNL mocks meat recall and food safety
The sketch then turned to food safety. RFK Jr. acknowledged that 200,000 pounds of pork, beef and goat meat had been recalled. He followed this with a joke that catfish, pony and cricket were viable sources of protein for American families.
The character thanked the sailors for testing the recalled meat on themselves before beginning to speak gibberish. Hegseth then slapped him on the back, after which RFK Jr. was able to speak clearly again. The scene used physical comedy to continue the jokes about health and food safety, according to TV Insider.
Hegseth ends SNL skit with Linkin Park song
To close the address, Hegseth sang part of Linkin Park’s song “In the End” and thanked the sailors for their service. He then joked about their willingness to “go down with the ship,” adding a crude sexual reference to his personal rule about never going down on anyone.
The sketch ended with Hegseth delivering the show’s familiar closing line: “And live from New York, it’s Saturday Night!” The cold open used exaggerated impressions and dark humour to poke fun at Hegseth, RFK Jr. and issues involving the US military, government and public health, according to TV Insider.