Saturday Night Live returned for its 52nd season on Saturday night with New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson as host and K-pop group Katseye as the musical guest. The cold open, timed to the nor’easter that swept the East Coast this weekend, took aim at one of the week’s most unexpected political stories: the strangely warm relationship between President Donald Trump and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
Ramy Youssef returned to play Mamdani alongside James Austin Johnson’s long-running Trump impression. The sketch depicted Trump as genuinely delighted by the unlikely friendship, calling himself the mayor’s “best friend” and unable to explain the attachment. “For some reason that no one can figure out, I really, really like you,” Johnson’s Trump said. When he suggested their shared Queens roots might explain the connection, Mamdani noted it was “funny to think I could have grown up in one of your apartment buildings in Queens.” Trump’s response: “Not with that last name.”
The mayor was played as increasingly desperate to get Trump out of his life, to no avail. Trump described the dynamic as “one of those unlikely animal friendships, like when a tiger gets together with a baby goat.”
The Rest of the Cold Open
The sketch worked through several highlights from what SNL characterised as Trump’s “crazy week” — including the White House ban on reporters from CNN, MSNOW, and Politico, his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, and his apparent hair colour change that attracted significant commentary online earlier this month. “I kicked out the press, and hung out with the president of China, Xi,” Johnson said. “And yeah, I went brunet. It’s fall!”
The cold open also introduced a new impression: Ashley Padilla debuted as Trump aide Natalie Harp, playing her as unstable and possessively infatuated with the president. “She’s like the girl from ‘Obsession,’ but blonde,” Trump said of her. Harp’s character turned to Mamdani with a warning: “If you hurt him, I will end you.”
New Faces, New Season
Season 52 brings two new featured players to the cast: Saidah Belo-Osagie and Grace Reiter. All five cast members who joined in 2025 — Tommy Brennan, Jeremy Culhane, Ben Marshall, Kam Patterson, and Veronika Slowikowska — return for their sophomore year. Colin Jost and Michael Che remain as Weekend Update anchors.
The season begins without two departures from last year. Chloe Fineman announced her exit in July after seven seasons. Martin Herlihy, one-third of the comedy trio Please Don’t Destroy, also left after five seasons.
What’s Coming Next
The premiere kicks off three consecutive new episodes. Next week, October 3rd, Dakota Johnson hosts with punk band Turnstile as the musical guest. October 10th, Shane Gillis returns to host with Rosalía performing. The show then takes a two-week break before returning for a rare Halloween night episode on October 31st — with Obsession breakout star Inde Navarette hosting and Gracie Abrams as musical guest.
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