- 4 minutes ago
Not every cold open sticks the landing—some crash spectacularly. Join us as we count down the most offensive, tone-deaf, and painfully unfunny cold opens in "Saturday Night Live" history! From ego-driven disasters to shockingly poor timing, these are the sketches that left audiences and critics cringing for all the wrong reasons. Which one do you think flopped the hardest?
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:07Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for those infamous moments when
00:11Saturday Night Live's first sketch didn't just miss the mark, it crashed and burned.
00:16We're focusing on openings that were offensive, deeply controversial, poorly executed, or a chaotic
00:22combination of all three, creating moments that fans and critics still talk about today,
00:26for all the wrong reasons.
00:30Satellite from the alien spacecraft is cult leader, Marshall Applewhite.
00:35Number 10, Trump Awards.
00:37And if I could be serious for a moment, there is so much horrible stuff going on in our country
00:42and the world right now, but I promise you, I'm just getting started, thank you.
00:47Eric, go to bed!
00:48Airing in early 2026, this cult open remains a stark example of a sketch that was fatally
00:54out of touch with real-world events.
00:55Just hours before the show went live, news was dominated by reports of a violent and chaotic
01:01federal raid led by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Minneapolis, which resulted in
01:06the heavily publicized death of ICU nurse Alex Preddy.
01:09We know that he's a 37-year-old, and I think that everyone's probably wondering if there's
01:16going to be a fair investigation from every angle of what unfolded.
01:21Instead of acknowledging the tension or gravity of the situation, SNL opted for the inaugural
01:26Trump Awards.
01:28While James Austin Johnson's impression of Donald Trump was its usual polished self, the sketch
01:32featured a surprise guest appearance by Mike Myers as a frantic, dancing Elon Musk.
01:37I'm so emotionless to be here, and if anyone knows humor, it's me, you know, no tariffs on
01:46humor, legalized comedy, come on, come on, come on, legalized comedy, let's go, he, he, he.
01:50Unfortunately, it wasn't all laughs this year.
01:54Now, not all laughs.
01:56Critics felt the sketch undermined the very real, ongoing trauma of the city.
02:00Number 9.
02:01Domingo Birthday
02:02And Kelsey set one boundary, she said this trip was meant to be, just about a gift for
02:13Matt, not about, about, seeing the one guy she was thinking of.
02:21Hmm, who are you thinking of?
02:23You, dummy!
02:24The character of Domingo, played by Marcella Hernandez, first became a viral sensation in a brilliant
02:29season 50 sketch alongside Ariana Grande.
02:31Exactly one year later, in October 2025, the show chose to open the season's third episode
02:36with Domingo again, this time disrupting a 30th birthday party with guest Sabrina Carpenter.
02:59There was no real satirical hook or connection to the news, it was just a plain attempt to recycle
03:04a viral hit to guarantee a loud reaction from the live audience.
03:07While Hernandez gave it his all, fans immediately recognized it as a break glass in case of
03:12emergency maneuver.
03:13I may be the love of your life, but I respect that you are a wife.
03:18Kelsey, I'm serious.
03:20This is strike six.
03:22Hurt, babe!
03:23It won't happen again!
03:24Number 8.
03:25Meet the Parents
03:26Well, if you have nothing to hide, then you have nothing to worry about.
03:29Is that a joke?
03:31Look, we got a real problem here, Jeff.
03:33You know how much evidence I have in my office?
03:36I'm Donald Trump's lawyer!
03:38I got a whole hard drive that's just labeled, Yikes!
03:43SNL's reliance on A-list celebrity cameos have become its defining characteristic, and
03:47its biggest weakness.
03:48This cold open, featuring Robert De Niro as Robert Mueller and Ben Stiller as Michael Cohen,
03:54represents the nadir of this star power over writing philosophy.
03:57Have you ever used a lie detector before?
04:00I feel like I have.
04:02Great.
04:04Look, I want you to know I will gladly go to jail to protect Mr. President Trump.
04:10Just relax, Mr. Cohen.
04:12The concept was painfully lazy.
04:15They essentially just reenacted the lie detector scene from Stiller and De Niro's 2000 film,
04:19Meet the Parents.
04:20While the studio audience clapped wildly at the sight of two legendary movie stars,
04:24the actual sketch contained almost no political satire, or clever punchlines about the intense
04:29Mueller investigation.
04:30It was at its core, a ten-minute slog of celebrities reading the news headlines of each other, while
04:35De Niro noticeably struggled with his cue cards.
04:38I mean, you can milk anything with nipples.
04:47Really?
04:49I have nipples.
04:52Can you milk me, Mr. Cohen?
04:55Number seven, Wayne's World versus Chelsea Clinton.
04:58All right, number three, the Gore Daughters.
05:02Sweet!
05:03Yeah!
05:06Good work, Mr. Gore.
05:08Great to know.
05:09Finally, there's some talent in the White House.
05:13It's amazing.
05:14It's like an episode of Petticoat Junction.
05:16Legends can miss, and they missed hard in 1992, when they chose to punch down at a literal
05:22child.
05:23In this cold open, Mike Myers and Dana Carvey began a segment listing the top ten reasons
05:27why they loved Bill Clinton.
05:29Clinton had just recently been elected to the presidency.
05:32Very dramatic entrance.
05:3412.20 in the morning.
05:37Wednesday, 11.21 in Little Rock, Arkansas.
05:41The new president of the United States, his wife, Hillary, they've got her, Chelsea.
05:45The list quickly took a mean-spirited turn, with the duo mocking the physical appearance
05:49of Chelsea Clinton, comparing her unfavorably to other political heirs.
05:53The audience backlash was swift and severe, with many feeling the show had crossed a definitive
05:58line by targeting a non-political minor.
06:01The controversy was so significant that Lorne Michaels had to issue a formal public apology,
06:05and Myers reportedly sent a personal letter of regret to the Clintons.
06:08The joke has since been edited out of the episode.
06:11Okay, the number one thing we love about Bill Clinton is...
06:15Live from New York, it's Saturday night!
06:18Number six.
06:19College president.
06:20Thank you, chairwoman.
06:22Now, I'm gonna start screaming questions at these women, like I'm Billy Eichner.
06:27Anti-Semitism, yay or nay?
06:30I'm sorry, what?
06:31In late 2023, the nation was riveted by a highly charged congressional hearing, where university
06:37presidents struggled to answer questions about anti-Semitism on their campuses.
06:41The real event was complex and politically volatile, making it a challenging target for
06:46satire.
06:47SNL's response was this cold open, which was widely seen as a massive failure of nerve.
06:52So I'll ask you straight up, do you think genocide is bad?
06:55Could I submit an answer in writing at a later date?
07:02Am I winning this hearing?
07:05Somebody pinch me.
07:07Ms. Stefanik, your time is up.
07:10Oh, thank God.
07:11The sketch featured newcomer Chloe Trost as representative Elise Stefanik, whose grandstanding
07:16puts her at odds with three bewildered presidents, including Ego Wodum as Harvard's Claudine Gay.
07:21However, the writing was so cautious and afraid of offending either side, that it ultimately
07:26stood for nothing.
07:28That type of hateful speech is personally abhorrent to me.
07:32And could you rephrase that in an even more academic way?
07:36Sure.
07:37That variety of odious oration is vis-a-vis me repugnant.
07:42Number five, Rich Meister in Waco.
07:45Jesus!
07:51Making copies.
07:55Hi, Rich.
07:56The Christ Meister.
08:00500 copies for the Lamb of God.
08:04In the spring of 1993, the nation was focused on the standoff in Waco, Texas, where federal
08:10agents were in a tense siege against the Branch Davidian cult.
08:13On March 13th, SNL aired a cold open, where Rob Schneider appeared as his Rich Meister character,
08:19the annoying guy at the office copier, who had somehow gotten into the compound and was
08:23copy-guying David Koresh.
08:25These have to go out to all the radio stations.
08:28Important statement from the new messiah.
08:31The man with the plan.
08:33The Nazarene.
08:35Jesus H. Christ.
08:39Just making copies.
08:41Hi, honey.
08:43Becky.
08:45Wife number five of the son of God.
08:48Making light of an escalating real-life standoff was already a risky comedic gamble.
08:52But just weeks later, the standoff ended in a tragic fire that killed 76 people.
08:57The image of the show mocking a real-life cult leader, while a real-life horror was building
09:01on national news, was catastrophic.
09:04Hey, Rich.
09:05You want to hear the statement?
09:07JC likes the sound of his own voice.
09:11Alright, here it is.
09:13Good evening.
09:14The living God has something that we need to know, and the seven seals have seven angels
09:18and seven trumpets, and they will know.
09:20Cut to the chase.
09:22Thuzorama.
09:24Number four.
09:25Brandon Tartikoff tests the cast.
09:27You know, smoke, weed, toot, snow, glue.
09:34I could go on and on.
09:36The 1980s were a turbulent time for SNL, marked by multiple cast overhauls and cancellation
09:41scares.
09:42The season 11 premiere in 1985 began with one of its most uncomfortable openings, when NBC
09:47President Brandon Tartikoff addressed the audience.
09:50So as not to stigmatize the performers on this show, NBC will employ this procedure on
09:56all of our programs.
09:58From the actors on Miami Vice, except those who play the criminals, to Punky Brewster to
10:05meet the press.
10:06This wasn't a guest cameo for a quick joke.
10:09Tartikoff sat at a desk, and speaking directly to the new cast, announced a mandatory urinalysis
10:14policy for all SNL employees.
10:16Only three years prior, beloved original cast member John Belushi had died of a tragic overdose,
10:21a loss the show's family was still deeply mourning.
10:24Using actual testing as the hook for a season premiere wasn't edgy.
10:27It was corporate and a depressing failure of taste that cast a pall over the entire episode.
10:33You know, even though you're just 17 years old, I understand that you've been doing this
10:37kind of thing for quite a while.
10:39Yeah, well, I've been giving specimens since I first got chicken pox.
10:44Right, well, you may start the show.
10:48Thank you, Mr. Tartikoff.
10:49Number three, Heaven's Gate.
10:51Marshall Applewhite, I take my hat off to you.
10:55You were right about everything, the comet, the spaceship, everything.
10:59Congratulations on a job well done.
11:01Well, Ted, I really appreciate that.
11:04But I gotta tell you, when I sat down that glass of phenobarbital, I had a moment of like,
11:11Marshall, not good.
11:12In late March of 1997, the world was shot by the coordinated deaths of 39 members of the
11:18Heaven's Gate cold in San Diego.
11:20Less than two weeks later, SNL aired a cold open featuring the cast in matching sneakers and
11:25black outfits, portraying the victims as a group of happy, quirky campers, excited for
11:30their space journey.
11:31So I said, what the hell, and rolled the dice, and guess what?
11:34We came out on top, and it feels pretty darn good.
11:36Right, gang?
11:40I just want to give a shout out to all my homies back at the Deep Space Nine Fair Club.
11:46The real-life victims included people who had been deeply manipulated by cult leadership,
11:50and the sketch had absolutely no satirical target, other than the victims themselves.
11:55It contained zero actual jokes, relying entirely on the, look, we're dressed like dead people
12:00gimmick, for shock value.
12:02At least Will Ferrell seemed to be having fun.
12:04Tell me, are there any regrets?
12:07Yeah, the castration thing.
12:11I was way off on that one, Ted.
12:15It turns out it had nothing to do with anything, and in fact, when we got here, everyone just
12:21looked at me like, Applewhite, you nutball.
12:24Yeah, but he's our nutball.
12:25He's our nutball.
12:26Number two, Hallelujah.
12:35Whether you loved this moment or loathed it, it is impossible to deny that this cold open
12:40changed SNL, and polarized its fan base, like almost nothing else.
12:44Airing the first show after the surprising 2016 presidential election, the open abandoned
12:49comedy entirely.
12:50Kate McKinnon, dressed as Hillary Clinton, sat alone at a piano and delivered a heartfelt,
12:55somber rendition of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah.
12:57Cohen had died the day before the election.
13:06While many viewers found it moving, comedy purists cited it as the exact moment SNL jumped
13:11the shark.
13:12By replacing satire with a sincere, somber political statement, the show kicked off years
13:17of debate about whether the show was still actually a comedy show, or something far preachier.
13:22I'm not giving up, and neither should you.
13:25And live from New York, it's Saturday night.
13:28Number one, Hans and Franz with Steven Seagal.
13:31Yeah, we're laughing.
13:32But what about this guy, Steven Seagal?
13:34Yeah, hear me now, and believe me later.
13:36Arnold could easily rip Steven Seagal's skin into the arms, or so he could use them as
13:41nanofloss.
13:42That's right, unwaxed.
13:45Yeah.
13:46Mr. Seagal.
13:47Mr. Seagal.
13:48Mr. Seagal, I didn't see you.
13:50This is the holy grail of SNL host disasters, where a host's monumental ego physically crushed
13:56a sketch to death.
13:57Action star Steven Seagal, who has been cited as the worst host in history, refused to be
14:02made fun of during production.
14:04Some of the show's most popular characters, Hans and Franz, two bodybuilding Austrian men
14:08who are parodies of hyper-masculinity, were written to be weak, stupid, and overwhelmed
14:13by Seagal's zen-like toughness.
14:15I don't think you guys understand what I'm talking about.
14:17Maybe I could demonstrate.
14:19Hmm?
14:20I'd like to hold my little finger out and let you guys push on him.
14:23Oh, well, you know, before you make this last decision, perhaps you should see what you're
14:30up against.
14:31Yeah, yeah, take a gander, Steven.
14:32It was a complete capitulation of a comedy institution to a celebrity's ego, and watching two beloved
14:38characters get humiliated in their own sketch remains among most cringe-inducing and humorless
14:43moments in the show's history.
14:45Okay, here we go.
14:47All right.
14:48Okay.
14:49Go.
14:49All right, push for arms.
14:51I am pushing hands, but Steven's baby finger is too strong.
14:54It's a super baby finger.
14:58Oh.
14:59Oh, that's very good.
15:01I'm very impressed, Mr. Seagal.
15:02Maybe we misjudged you.
15:04Yeah, yeah.
15:04Maybe you're not a girly man after all, Mr. Seagal.
15:07Yeah.
15:08Which SNL code open do you think flopped the hardest?
15:10Are there any we missed?
15:11Be sure to let us know in the comments.
15:15Be sure to let us know in the comments.
15:15You
Comments