Bats, severed arms, and the terrifying new speaker of the house, oh my!
Saturday Night Live brought Halloween to the cold open with Mikey Day as President Joe Biden hanging Halloween decorations because what could be scarier than that? As he says, that’s an “80-year-old man” hanging decorations and that’s exactly what he did. Day as Biden stood on a ladder and hung up some decor in the Oval Office while singing “Whatta Man” by Salt-N-Pepa. The sketch follows Day’s Biden making jokes about his age and severed arms as he prepares the White House for Halloween.
We also get a jumpscare from the new Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (Michael Longfellow) and his “adult Black son” also named Michael (Devon Walker) comes to visit him, comparing their relationship to The Blindside. When he needs someone to come and help him explain the true meaning of Halloween, Christopher Walken appears to help him. “Maybe, I can help,” he says. “I’m the Spirit of Halloween.” It’s a perfectly spooky Halloween version of A Christmas Carol because what’s a better version of the Ghost of Christmas Past than having Walken take you on a spooky journey with President Biden?
He recites a poem to Biden, which is of course “trick or treat, smell my feet, give me something good to eat,” and he continues to call himself “Papa Pumpkin” as he is convincing Joe Biden what the true meaning of Halloween is. Overall, it was a simple Halloween sketch that was trying to bring light energy to the darkness of the world. Something that Day’s Biden continues to bring up throughout the sketch before Walken says “Live from New York, it’s Saturday Night.”
Christopher Walken Is Papa Pumpkin
Recently, Saturday Night Live has been embracing the idea of bringing guests in more and more with the new season outside of the hosts. Whether this is due to the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike and having hosts that are not promoting projects or just having actors and creatives more willing to jump on the show, is unknown but Walken being in the cold open is a delightful choice. Now we’ll always have Papa Pumpkin to embrace every Halloween along with his other Saturday Night Live staples like “More Cowbell” because he is a Saturday Night Live great! Watch this week’s cold open below.
The full episode of Saturday Night Live is available to stream on Peacock in the U.S.
Watch on Peacock
NBC’s Emmy Award-winning late-night comedy showcase Saturday Night Live returns for its 48th season of laughs, surprises, and standout performances. SNL is the most Emmy-nominated show in history and holds 93 Emmy wins (including awards for its specials and short-form series). SNL has been honored twice (1990 and 2009) with the prestigious George Foster Peabody Award and was inducted into the Broadcasting Hall of Fame. The show continues to garner the highest ratings and largest audience of any late-night television program, entertaining millions each week on linear and digital platforms. Since its inception in 1975, SNL has launched the careers of many of the brightest comedy performers of their generation. SNL makes headlines with topical humor reflecting politics and current events, features an array of characters with a perspective on pop culture that remains unparalleled, and offers sharp political commentary through its signature Weekend Update segment. A variety show that is truly one of a kind, SNL also attracts the biggest stars of music to its stage for innovative viral performances. Saturday Night Live, which premiered October 11, 1975, broadcasts live from NBC’s famed Studio 8H in New York City’s Rockefeller Center. The program is a production of Broadway Video in association with SNL Studios. Lorne Michaels is the executive producer.
Release Date October 11, 1975
Cast Kenan Thompson, Darrell Hammond, Seth Meyers, Fred Armisen
Genres Comedy
Rating TV-14
Seasons 48
