Is 'Saturday Night Live' Becoming Too Political?

“Saturday Night Live” first premiered on October 11, 1975. Since that time, it has seen its fair share of controversy.

Notably, Morgan Wallen recently ruffled feathers when he walked off the “SNL” stage during the show. Although the move drew scrutiny, it wasn’t the only controversial element of the March 29th episode.

In the “SNL” cold open, a Pete Hegseth impersonator shared war plans with high school girls, tackling the news that the Trump administration accidentally shared secret war plans with “The Atlantic” journalist Jeffrey Goldberg when they unknowingly added him to their group chat.

If the “Saturday Night Live” cold open wasn’t enough, Colin Jost also took aim at the Secretary of Defense during the “Weekend Update” segment. While holding up a photo of Hegseth holding up a zero, Jost quipped, “Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, seen here indicting how many days since his last drink.”

He also made a play on the iconic “Forrest Gump” line, “Life is like a box of chocolates,” adding, “Except for Hegseth, life is more like a box of wine.”

Some irate users took to social media in order to claim that Jost committed slander by joking about Hegseth’s alleged alcohol use. “Must be some way to derail these c-cky b-stards who have such total disregard for the truth,” one viewer wrote. “Pete is clearly a target. Called him a drunk who gave away secrets. Slander much?”

“You really need to go after the clowns at 'SNL' for their ‘hit job’ open on Pete Hegseth. Even by their standards, it was pure slander,” another agreed.

“'SNL' mocks Pete Hegseth, but real patriots know he’s a warrior cleaning up global messes,” a third user commented. “God bless our troops and strong leaders.”

Recent jokes about Donald Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance, and the appearance of then-Vice President Kamala Harris right before the election has made many wonder if “SNL” is becoming too political for its own good.

While “SNL” has always engaged in political satire, many users have claimed that they have noticed an uptick in political commentary, especially during the cold opens and “Weekend Update” segments.

Some of these viewers also feel that these political jokes are no longer just satire, and are instead being delivered with a pointed agenda.

The frequent attacks of current U.S. President Donald Trump and his administration have many users online claiming that the “SNL” writers are no longer impartial in their comedy and are instead trying to push a liberal agenda.

Whether that’s true or not, some would argue that modern-day politics have become so bizarre that it is hard to create satire that is more outrageous than actual events. Many have criticized his new friendship with Elon Musk and the workings of DOGE, while others have questioned his desire to take over Greenland and make Canada the 51st state.

Unfortunately, the political climate of the United States is more polarized than ever. The heightened sensitivity around political issues means that political satire, regardless of its intent, is likely to be met with criticism from either one side or the other. Even if “Saturday Night Live” is no more political than it has been in the past, it only seems that way during the current political climate.

The nature of social media has also been fueling the flames of derision. Algorithmic filtering means that people primarily see content that aligns with their existing beliefs, which means that people are more likely to see posts from those who agree with their perspective.

In other words, seeing posts from like-minded peers that claim that “SNL” is too political will only reinforce that belief, and, in an echo chamber, strong emotions like outrage are easier to be shared and amplified, thus contributing to the spread of polarizing content.

So, in a sense, no, “Saturday Night Live” is no more political than it has ever been, but depending on who you follow, social media sure might make it seem that way.