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Saturday Night Live Cold Open Satirizes Pete Hegseth and Kristi Noem Amid U.S.–Iran War

SNL mocked Pete Hegseth’s crude Iran war commentary and Kristi Noem’s controversial DHS exit amid allegations and reassignment to a symbolic role.

  • On March 7, Saturday Night Live opened with a sketch lampooning Jost portraying Hegseth and Padilla as Noem in a faux press conference about U.S. actions in Iran, hosted by Ryan Gosling for the fourth time.
  • The decision followed weeks of controversy around Noem, including her reassignment to lead the Shield of the Americas after her removal from DHS this past week, critics highlighted her $220 million ad contract in Congressional testimony.
  • Using risqué lines and cultural callbacks, the sketch had Colin Jost's Hegseth deliver explicit taunts and parody pop-culture references, with Padilla's Noem mocking cosmetic quips.
  • The high-profile lineup—Ryan Gosling hosting with Gorillaz—helped the skit gain broader reach, while the cold open clip circulated on online platforms after the broadcast.
  • Amid mounting civilian casualties and evacuations, reports say more than 1,200 Iranian civilians died including 176 children, while a Reuters/Ipsos poll found only one in four Americans support the war and the U.S. State Department assisted over 10,000 amid Trump administration evacuation challenges.
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‘SNL’ Cold Open Lambasts Donald Trump & Pete Hegseth Over War in Iran

It also addressed the POTUS firing Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem.

·Missoula, United States
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Raw Story broke the news in United States on Saturday, March 7, 2026.
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