US EditionMike Myers Back On ‘SNL’ As Elon Musk For Trump Awards Cold Open On A Tragic Day In America
SNL's cold open satirized Trump's obsession with awards and policies but omitted mention of the fatal Minneapolis shooting, drawing criticism for perceived tone deafness.
- On Saturday, January 25, 2026, Saturday Night Live opened with a cold open featuring James Austin Johnson hosting The Trumps awards, with Mike Myers returning as Elon Musk.
- The sketch was designed to satirize President Donald Trump's fixation on prizes and his public campaign for a Nobel, while mocking the Trump administration's deportation campaign and its fawning allies.
- A mock 'in memoriam'—introduced by Mike Myers' Elon Musk—eulogized White House East Wing, D.E.I., checks and balances, and Marjorie Taylor Greene, highlighting what the sketch claimed the administration destroyed.
- The timing drew scrutiny after the cold open aired the same day federal immigration agents fatally shot U.S. citizen Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, and viewers and commentators called the episode tone-deaf.
- Critics argued the show missed an opportunity when the SNL production team failed to pivot to the Minneapolis events and federal policing debate amid nationwide outrage and Republican calls for accountability.
58 Articles
58 Articles
Saturday Night Live Recap: Teyana Taylor Hosts a Somber Show
The highs and lows of the night, including a Paul Thomas Anderson-inspired toy commercial, a Trump-led awards show cold open, Marcello Hernández’s Gen-Z translation, and the debut of ‘Mr. On Blast’ on Weekend Update.
'SNL' Cold Open presents the Trump Awards
James Austin Johnson doing Donald Trump in Saturday Night Live’s cold open. Name a more iconic duo.Or, depending on who you ask, a more overplayed one. Either way, Johnson’s Trump impression once again kicked off Saturday night with a brand-new fictional awards show: The Trumps.The premise was exactly what it sounds like. Much like Trump’s being given the Nobel Peace Prize second-hand or FIFA creating an entire award just for him, the Trumps exi…
SNL's 'lighthearted' Trump parody blasted as 'failure to read the room' after DHS shooting
Saturday Night Live opened its latest episode with a familiar cold open parodying President Donald Trump, but critics said the show’s usual antics and “lighthearted” jabs were a “gigantic failure to read the room” given a deadly ICE shooting that occurred just hours before the broadcast.“Sorry to be a buzzkill SNL, but maybe don’t do a lighthearted Trump cold open on the same day his goon squad murdered an American citizen in broad daylight,” wr…
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