The day Oscar winner and New York icon Diane Keaton died, Saturday evening live Tonight we participated in a traditional political opening with a reunion of the legends of Not Ready for Primetime Players.
Specifically, SNL attracted many of its current players as various confused senators questioned MAGA Attorney General Pam Bondi and gun-toting Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. The two members of Donald Trump’s cabinet were played respectively by Tonight host Amy Poehler and her costar in the crime comedy from many years ago, Tina Fey.
“Before you don’t respond, I’d like to insult you personally,” Bondi said on top of Poehler’s attitude, boasting about the “numerous roast-style burns” she had on hand for her testimony.
Real testimony took place on Capitol Hill last week, with the former Sunshine State AG repeatedly pushing back against Democratic senators over attacks on citizens by ICE and U.S. troops in American cities, Jeffrey Epstein, the indictment of former FBI Director James Comey, and the current shutdown. Or, as Poehler said during tonight’s opening, “the DOJ has a lot of operations going on, and we’re moving very quickly like Kash Patel’s eyes in multiple directions at once.”
In one of the fastest and leanest cold opens in many years SNLexclaimed Noem de Fey, after tossing her machine gun aside: “I’m the rarest type of person in Washington DC, a brunette that Donald Trump listens to.”
Returning to Noem’s memoir referencing the dog killing that likely saw the former South Dakota governor removed from Trump’s vice-presidential shortlist last year, tonight’s skit saw Fey declare that the idea why Democrats want the shutdown “makes me laugh more than the end of last year.” Old crier.”
Or, in other words: “Dogs don’t just get shot. Heroes kill them.”
See Fey’s entry on cold nostalgic hot open above.
Keaton, who never hosted or performed on stage at SNL during her five decades of life, died this morning in Los Angeles at the age of 79, her family announced today. Featured in all three Godfather films, Oscar winner for 1977 Annie Hall had a career that spanned from 1970 to 2024.
For the lack of Keaton SNL experience, tonight’s show was a blast from the past plus a reunion, with former cast member Poehler returning for her third stint as host. These appearances are in addition to Poehler’s co-anchor role on “Weekend Update” with Fey and many others, including a hard-hitting Hillary Clinton alongside Fey’s career-defining Sarah Palin. SNL from 2001 to 2008.
Along with Poehler’s return as host, Role Model is making its SNL musical guest debut this week.
Next week we’ll see another one of these rare SNL occasions where the host and musical guest become one – in this case Sabrina Carpenter. The “Espresso” singer was previously on NBC for the season 49 finale on May 18, 2024. Carpenter also appeared on the February show. SNL50 special birthday singing “Homeward Bound” with several SNL host and guest Paul Simon.
A good duo, but not Amy Poehler and Tina Fey.
