Saturday Night Live’s Halloween cold open on Saturday, October 31, parodied Nicki Minaj’s support for President Donald Trump, one week after the rapper joined him on the campaign trail. Cast member Saidah Belo-Osagie played Minaj, entering near the end of the sketch as James Austin Johnson’s Trump praised her loyalty to his movement. “Trump’s out here killing it,” Belo-Osagie’s Minaj declared, “and by it, I mean my career.”
The parody drew on Minaj’s appearance at Trump’s October 25 rally in Port Huron, Michigan, where she traveled with him on Air Force One and backed Republican candidates Mike Rogers and John James ahead of the November 3 midterm elections. At the rally, Trump invited Minaj to stand before the crowd and commented on her appearance, a moment the sketch built on with a series of jokes.
The sketch also cast Minaj as Trump’s next choice for White House press secretary. That idea had a real-world origin: a Trump staffer floated Minaj for the role during the Air Force One trip, and Trump later told The Benny Show it was “a good idea,” adding, “I’m gonna think about that.” Minaj has said she is “not going anywhere” after Trump called her his “favorite.” Minaj has not publicly addressed the sketch.
The cold open was framed as a ride through a Halloween haunted attraction, with Grace Reiter and Jeremy Culhane as a couple on a date and Kenan Thompson as a Grim Reaper guide. Tom Hanks then appeared as David S. Pumpkins, the character he introduced on the show in 2016, backed by dancing skeletons played by Mikey Day and former cast member Bobby Moynihan. Johnson’s Trump froze the scene and cut it short, comparing himself to Pumpkins before complaining about Republican polling ahead of the midterms.
Obsession star Inde Navarrette hosted the episode, her first time in the role. Gracie Abrams was the musical guest, performing in her second SNL appearance after her December 2024 debut. She had released her single “Here You Come, There You Go” on October 29.
Tour Dates
Abrams’s Look at My Life arena tour launches December 2 in Denver, in support of her third album, Daughter From Hell.
See James Austin Johnson live
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- Feb 19, 2027 — Punch Line Comedy Club – Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania · Get tickets
- Feb 19, 2027 — Punch Line Comedy Club – Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania · Get tickets
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- Feb 20, 2027 — Punch Line Comedy Club – Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania · Get tickets
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Source: Billboard
