‘SNL’ and Cecily Strong Fulfill Fan Desires With Wild Rudy Giuliani Testimony in Cold Open

Saturday Night Live returned this weekend after a marathon beginning to Season 46, with six consecutive episodes to start the season. This weekend’s show began with another political sketch, with Kate McKinnon playing President Donald Trump’s attorney Rudy Giuliani. The sketch parodied Giuliani’s repeated attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results, despite the lack of evidence of widespread voter fraud.

The sketch was set at a Michigan state senate hearing, beginning with Cecily Strong as a witness many believed was drunk during the hearing on Wednesday. Giuliani, who farted, brought in another witness played by Heidi Gardner. She played a witness who claimed she “ate” ballots because a Democrat pulled up and served “ballot spaghetti.” Mike Lindell (Beck Bennett) also testified that Democrats stuffed pillows with ballots. Another witness, played by Alex Moffatt, claimed he saw aliens fill in ballots for Biden. Chloe Fineman also played Nicole Kidman’s character from The Undoing.

The Dec. 5 episode is the first of three consecutive episodes, the last three of the year. Arrested Development star Jason Bateman was the host, timed with his most recent project, A Teacher. Bateman does not star in the new FX on Hulu series but is an executive producer on the project. Bateman also recently starred in HBO’s The Outsider and stars in Netflix’s Ozark. He was an executive producer on Kidding, the short-lived Showtime series starring Carrey.

Rising country star Morgan Wallen was the musical guest. Wallen was originally supposed to perform on the Oct. 10 episode but was replaced by Jack White after Wallen violated coronavirus protocols by partying in Alabama days before the episode. Wallen apologized for not following protocols in October. “I’d like to apologize to SNL, to my fans, to my team for bringing me these opportunities, and I let them down,” he said at the time. “And, on a more personal note, I think I have some growing up to do. You know, I think I’ve lost myself a little bit. I’ve tried to find joy in the wrong places, and, I don’t know; it’s left me with less joy. So I’m going to go try to work on that.”

​

The Dec. 12 episode will be hosted by actor Timothee Chalamet with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band performing. On Dec. 19, former SNL cast member Kristen Wiig, who stars in Wonder Woman 1984, will host. Dua Lipa is set to perform. The “Future Nostalgia” singer was scheduled to perform in March, around the time her latest album was released, but the episode was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

​

​

​

​

​