Colin Jost and Michael Che kicked off Saturday Night Live‘s first Weekend Update of 2025 with a bang.
During the Jan. 18 episode, which was hosted by Dave Chappelle and featured GloRilla as the musical guest, Jost, 42, and Che, 41, poked fun at various current events, including news surrounding Donald Trump, the TikTok ban and the recently released Nosferatu remake.
First discussing Trump, 78, Jost joked, “Well, guys. It is the dawn of a new era. Donald Trump released his official inaugural portrait and the photo was lit, I assume, by hell opening up.”
He then teased Trump for “trying to look so hardcore” in the photo, which has garnered comparisons to his mugshot from 2023, that he was “surprised” a “parental advisory and a durag” wasn’t added to the image.
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Che next took a swing at Trump, poking fun at how his inauguration ceremony on Monday, Jan. 20 has been moved from outside to inside the U.S. Capitol building due to expected cold temperatures.
“Hey, just like last time,” Che exclaimed, as an image from the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection, where pro-Trump rioters stormed the Washington, D.C., building, appeared onscreen.
Highlighting how Trump’s inauguration falls on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Che joked, “And if Dr. King were alive today, I bet Trump would walk right up to him and say, ‘Oh snap, it’s Ben Carson,’ ” referring to the political figure who ran opposite Trump previously.
Next up, SNL castmember Michael Longfellow spoke about the TikTok ban, shortly after the social media app officially went dark just hours before.
Responding to Che’s claim that there are “legitimate reasons” for the banning of the app, Longfellow, 30, fought back, stating, “Like what? Because it’s Chinese? So we’re just banning things because they’re from China now?”
Then pointing upward, Longfellow continued, “You know who else was from China? That’s right, Jesus Christ. I thought he was Middle Eastern, but I saw it on a TikTok: Chinese!”
As for concerns surrounding data privacy, the comedian teased, “Who cares about my data? Oh no, China knows I like thick Latinas. Who doesn’t? Give me a break.”
Longfellow also poked fun at his TikTok usuage, telling Che, “I have no attention span. I have ADHD.”
“I’ll never forget being diagnosed. It was last year. I took a TikTok quiz, and the third time I took it, it said I might have ADHD,” he continued, adding that TikTok prescribed him Adderall.
Another standout moment from the Jan. 18 Weekend Update segment was when Sarah Sherman portrayed the original Nosferatu from the 1922 film to comment on Robert Eggers’ new take.
“I thought it sucked,” Sherman deadpanned while wearing various prosthetics to make herself look like the villainous character.
“I’m kidding, I’m kidding,” she then continued. “I really liked the movie, although it would’ve been nice to get an audition. Like, hit me up, bro.”
Still, Jost questioned Sherman’s Nosferatu about being jealous of the updated feature, amid many shots where the scene transitioned to a black-and-white filter as haunting piano chords played.
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Jost and Che previously closed out SNL’s Weekend Update in December 2024 with a joke swap, where they wrote jokes for each other and read them live — despite never having seen them before.
Twice during the segment, Jost read jokes aimed at his wife, Scarlett Johansson, who previously appeared during the episode’s opening monologue to induct Martin Short into the series’ Five-Timers Club.
“Y’all know Scarlett just celebrated her 40th birthday,” Jost said, while already looking worried about what was to come next. “Which means I’m about to get up out of there!”
“Nah, nah. I’m just playing,” he continued. “We just had a kid together, and y’all ain’t see no pictures of him yet ’cause he Black as hell.”
The camera then cut to Johansson, 40, who shook her head while grimacing.
Later in the segment, Jost announced that “Costco has removed their roast beef sandwich from their menu,” adding, “But I ain’t tripping, I be eating roast beef every night since my wife had the kid.”
Johansson was then captured backstage looking shocked, mouthing, “Oh my God.”
Jost had his chance to get back at Che, however, as he wrote jokes for him about Jeffrey Epstein and the recent allegations surrounding Sean “Diddy” Combs and Jay-Z.
Saturday Night Live airs weekends on NBC.
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