Saturday Night Live satirizes Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth

A recent episode of Saturday Night Live featured a sketch centered on Pete Hegseth, the Secretary of Defense in the Trump administration. Comedian Colin Jost portrayed Hegseth addressing the crew of the USS Abraham Lincoln, a vessel reported to have spent 265 days at sea under difficult conditions.

The sketch mocked several controversial topics, including the Pentagon's confirmed plan to livestream the December execution of Nidal Hassan. In the skit, the character enthusiastically announced the return of public executions, jokingly suggesting that if a prisoner survived a firing squad, they would have to fight boxer Jake Paul.

Additional satirical elements included a depiction of Hegseth wearing a sash of cinnamon whiskey and a new logo for the Department of War—a name preferred by the administration—which the sketch portrayed as having a Nazi aesthetic. When questioned by a soldier about the logo, the character described it as an ‘American eagle with a Nazi vibe.’