SNL mocks Kristi Noem’s exit with ‘self-deported’ joke in sharp cold open

NBC’s Saturday Night Live opened its latest episode with a pointed political parody aimed at former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, mocking the circumstances around her removal from the Trump administration.

The sketch placed Noem at a fictional press conference, where the show’s newest breakout performer, Ashley Padilla, reprised her impression of the controversial official.Padilla’s version of Noem immediately reframed the news of her departure with a tongue-in-cheek explanation. “I just want to make it clear that I didn’t get fired. I self-deported,” the character told reporters. The parody doubled down on the show’s portrayal of Noem as image-obsessed, with the character adding, “And though I may be leaving this job, I will not be ending my mission.

As I told my plastic surgeon: the work is never done.”The sketch also revived one of the most controversial episodes tied to the real Noem. In 2024, she acknowledged in her memoir that she shot her dog Cricket, a moment that drew national backlash. The cold open leaned heavily into that history. “I gave my all to the DHS, and I have no regrets. Because like they say: you miss 100 percent of the dogs you don’t shoot,” Padilla’s Noem said.

The political context behind the satire stems from a real announcement earlier in the week. Donald Trump said on his social platform Truth Social that Noem would be leaving her position and that Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin would take over the role. Mullin, a Republican and former mixed-martial-arts fighter, has aligned with Trump on immigration enforcement policies.Trump framed the change as a promotion, announcing that Noem would become the new “Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas,” a role that had not previously existed before the announcement.Shortly afterward, Noem addressed the change herself in a post on X. “@SecRubio and @SecWar are incredible leaders,” she wrote, “and I look forward to working with them closely to dismantle cartels that have poured drugs into our nation and killed our children and grandchildren.”The SNL sketch also referenced the political pressure Noem faced days earlier. During a Senate hearing, she was questioned over a $220 million advertising campaign, the deaths of two Minneapolis residents involving federal agents, and scrutiny around an alleged relationship with adviser Corey Lewandowski.The parody turned those controversies into punchlines. “I took this job with the goal of securing our border, deporting thousands of illegals, and spending $200 million on ads of me riding a horse,” Padilla’s Noem said. “And I think I really nailed it.” The joke continued with a dig at the alleged affair: “And by ‘it,’ I mean my married co-worker in a big, beautiful, flying bedroom 30,000 feet over Minneapolis.”Earlier in the cold open, the show also targeted the administration’s foreign policy messaging.

Pete Hegseth, portrayed again by “Weekend Update” anchor Colin Jost, appeared before reporters to explain the U.S. position on tensions with Iran.“The situation’s complicated, OK, so let me put it in terms that I can understand,” Jost’s Hegseth said. “We’re giving Iran a third-degree purple nurple.”When pressed about whether the conflict should be described as a war, the character brushed aside the label. “Why do we have to put labels on everything? What are you guys, a high school girlfriend—which I had!” he said.He continued with another metaphor: “This isn’t a war, OK? It’s a situationship. We’re just gonna hook up, we’re gonna see where it goes, OK? If it feels good, we’ll keep going. And if we get bored, we’ll start hooking up with Cuba.”The cold open quickly spread online after the broadcast, with viewers and political commentators sharing clips of the sketch across social media platforms.