“Saturday Night Live” opened its third episode of the season by taking on the Jan. 6 committee hearings, starringKenan Thompson as United States RepresentativeBennieG.Thompson(D-MS). And the theme of the sketch was quite simple: No matter how bad the attempts to stage a coup and overthrow the nation were, there’s no accountability in this country… and nothing will ultimately come of it. Donald Trump will roam free, there’s little chance he’ll actually live up to the subpoena to appear in front of the committee, and there’s nothing they can do about it.
Liz Cheney, played by Heidi Gardner,noted that “Over the past few months, this bipartisan committee has presented our case to all Americans. Whether you’re a Republican who’s not watching or a Democrat who’s nodding so hard that your head is falling off, one person is responsible for this insurrection: Donald Trump. And one person will suffer the consequences: Me. You might be wondering what makes me so tough. And I ask you, ‘Who was your dad?’ … You could say I have big Dick Cheney energy.”
Chloe Fineman as Speaker Nancy Pelosi was also seen: “Let me tell you, if Trump comes here right now, I’m gonna punch him right in the face. I’ll go to jail, but I’ll be happy.”
And of course, James Austin Johnson as Donald Trump: “You know the votes don’t matter. I’ve always said that the votes don’t matter at all.” He ended by asking if Vice President Mike Pence was “dead yet.”
Andrew Dismukes as Rep. AdamKinzinger (R-Ill.): “Trump is 100% coming and this time he will be held accountable. Sure, he got away with a lot of stuff in the ‘70s the ‘80s the ‘90s the early 2000s, the 2010s and the early 2020s. That ends now!”
Thompson, as Thompson, ended with this sigh: “We tried, it was a fun country while it lasted.”
Megan Thee Stallion is this week’s host and musical guest. “I’m a really good actress. Like, I don’t want to toot my own horn or anything, but I think I do a pretty good British accent. Check this out: ‘Put me in Bridgerton, bitch!'”
This week’s episode comes after a week in which former “SNL” star Bill Murray was accused of inappropriate behavior years ago while visiting the show. “Robot Chicken” co-creator Seth Green revealed on the“Good Mythical Morning” YouTube showthat he was only nine years old when he had a physical altercation with Murray backstage at “Saturday Night Live.” And in an interview on SiriusXM’s “The Jim Norton & Sam Roberts Show,”Rob Schneiderclaimed Murray hated “Saturday Night Live” cast membersAdam Sandlerand Chris Farley.
“Saturday Night Live” returned for its Season 48 on Oct. 1,with Miles Teller making his debut as host for the first time. Brandon Gleeson also had his first-ever “SNL” hosting stint, on Oct. 8. Kendrick Lamar was the musical guest on Oct. 1, with Willow on Oct. 8. Jack Harlow will host the next “SNL” and also serve as musical guest on Oct. 29.
The new episodes come as “SNL” undergoes a castmember shift, including the departures of Chris Redd, Alex Moffat, Melissa Villaseñor, AristotleAthari, Kate McKinnon, Aidy Bryant, Kyle Mooney and Pete Davidson. The show opened this year with four new featured players: Marcello Hernandez, Molly Kearney, Michael Longfellow and Devon Walker.
“Saturday Night Live” stars Kenan Thompson, Cecily Strong, Mikey Day, Heidi Gardner, Ego Nwodim, Bowen Yang, Chloe Fineman, Punkie Johnson, Andrew Dismukes and Michael Che and Colin Jost as the hosts of Weekend Update. The cast also includes James Austin Johnson, Sarah Sherman, in addition to newcomers Hernandez, Kearney, Longfellow and Walker as featured players. Kent Sublette, Alison Gates and Streeter Seidell serve as the head writers for the show, while Liz Patrick directs.
Created and executive produced by Lorne Michaels, the long-running sketch comedy series is produced by Broadway Video and SNL Studios and distributed by NBCUniversal Television and Streaming. The show broadcasts live nationwide on NBC at 8:30 p.m. PT/11:30 p.m. ET on Saturdays. In addition, starting with this season, episodes are available the next day on NBCUniversal’s streamer Peacock.
