Miles Teller hosted Saturday Night Live this weekend, which featured a variety of political sketches, including a cold open parodying the NYC mayoral debate, a Property Brothers-themed sketch mocking the White House ballroom project, and a George Santos (Bowen Yang) appearance on Weekend Update. And while Trump jokes were certainly not in short supply, this episode included several jabs at Democrats, namely at Andrew Cuomo, and at controversial progressive newcomer Zohran Mamdani.
Comedian Shane Gillis made a surprise appearance as Republican Curtis Sliwa, the kooky third-place candidate known for his unusual red beret and outlandish stories. Gillis was fired from SNL in 2019, less than a week after he was announced as a new cast member, when a resurfaced clip showing his use of an anti-Asian slur began circulating on X (formerly Twitter). Gillis has since hosted SNL twice, in February 2024 and March 2025; his portrayal of Sliwa marks his third appearance on the show since his initial firing.
Saturday Night Live became more liberal in 2016
This could represent a cultural shift away from what some have termed "The Great Awokening," a period of social progressivism which characterized the Biden years, particularly the 2020–2022 pandemic period, during which support for Black Lives Matter, trans rights, and feminism reached an all-time high. Although Trump hosted SNL in November 2015, the decision to platform Trump has since become controversial; ex-writer Michael Schur even called the choice a "critical error" in a podcast interview with The Daily Beast.
Gillis' appearances, then, represent SNL's first foray, since Trump's 2016 victory, into welcoming decidedly conservative-coded comedians onstage. In popular media, Gillis has been received somewhat negatively, described as a "meat-headed conservative bro" and an "edgelord." But SNL has invited Gillis back regardless, suggesting a renewed cultural interest in a politically heterogeneous artistic landscape.
Shane Gillis is not the only SNL regular who has expressed less-than-liberal sentiments, perhaps reflecting backlash to the perceived excesses of the Biden era. Bowen Yang confided mixed feelings about Gillis' firing incident in an interview with The New Yorker, according to AV Club, wherein he expressed fears of being cast as SNL's "woke scold."
Two-time host Jerry Seinfeld sparked controversy for comments he made as Duke University's 2024 commencement speaker, in which he critiqued "woke" students and articulated a defense of privilege, arguing it should be used for good. And SNL alumnus Rob Schneider, an avowed conservative, derided Kate McKinnon's performance as Hillary Clinton singing "Hallelujah," lamenting that "it's over" for SNL due to his perception of the show's liberal bias.
A bipartisan future, for better or for worse
SNL writers roundly mocked Zohran Mamdani's exaggerated smile, Andrew Cuomo's sexual harassment scandals, George Santos' criminal endeavors, and Trump's penchant for outsized flattery; the recent episode seemed to embrace the spirit of equal-opportunity ridicule. Whether this constitutes a welcome return to unbiased comedy or an inappropriate false equivalence is down to personal preference.
Regardless, this season of SNL is certainly not stale; tonal shifts, in addition to casting shakeups, are sure to keep audiences guessing.
Saturday Night Live airs on Saturdays at 11:30 p.m. ET/PT on NBC.