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This past weekend, Saturday Night Live transformed New York City’s political scene into a spectacle of pandemonium as Shane Gillis unexpectedly joined the cold open, portraying Curtis Sliwa, the founder of the Guardian Angels and a mayoral candidate.
The comedic sketch kicked off with host Miles Teller in the role of former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. Introducing himself as a “born, bred New Yorker,” he claimed to understand the city “like the back of a woman’s back.” Soon after, special guest Ramy Youssef appeared as Zohran Mamdani, a real-life state Assembly member. He humorously quipped, “I’m prepared to spend the next hour listening to my opponents butcher my name in unimaginable ways.”
“I get that some of you may be apprehensive about the notion of a young socialist Muslim mayor,” he continued. “So let me reassure you by smiling after each response until it physically pains me.”
Gillis then made his entrance as Sliwa, embodying the red beret-wearing candidate with his trademark bravado. However, his appearance was merely the beginning of the ensuing mayhem. The debate took a wild turn when James Austin Johnson burst onto the stage as Donald Trump, interrupting with his own take on New York City’s “biggest problem.”
“It’s me!” Trump declared. “Sure, they can act like this election is about housing and taxes, but let’s be honest, it’s all about me, right?”
He even delivered his own NYC “bagel” order: “A Big Mac with a hole in the middle,” before breaking into a Phantom of the Opera-inspired musical rant: “Come on, open up your mind. Let your fantasies unwind in this darkness which you know. The darkness of the music of the night.”
During his monologue, Teller switched gears to get candid about losing his home in the California wildfires earlier this year. “A few months ago, my wife and I lost our house in the Palisades fire,” he said, calming the crowd with: “But don’t worry… we’re doing great.” He wrapped by pointing out mock “fire exits” around Studio 8H.
Later in the episode, Teller starred in a pre-taped Property Brothers parody, teaming up with SNL’s Andrew Dismukes to renovate the White House’s East Wing for Trump’s “third term.”
“The budget is between $350 million and infinity,” Trump declared, with Melania (played by Chloe Fineman) chiming in: “We want this to be our forever home.”
“Yes, because we’re not leaving,” Johnson’s Trump added. “We’re going to be doing something called coup.”
Saturday’s episode marked Teller’s second time hosting, following his debut in 2022. Shane Gillis’ appearance arrives months after his real-life return to SNL was announced, following his 2019 firing.
Up next for SNL: Nikki Glaser takes the stage as host on November 8 with musical guest Sombr, followed by Glen Powell and Olivia Dean on November 15. This season has already featured Bad Bunny, Amy Poehler, and Sabrina Carpenter in the hosting spotlight.