Amy Poehler Brings A Retro Flair To ‘SNL’ With Tina Fey And Seth Meyers

SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE — Episode 1886 — Pictured: (l-r) Musical guest Role Model, host Amy Poehler, and Bowen Yang

Rosalind O’Connor/NBC via Getty Images

Amy Poehler hosted Saturday Night Live with musical guest Role Model. The episode marked SNL’s 50th birthday and was the second of its 51st season. The first episode of SNL aired on October 11, 1975.

Poehler is a veteran of the late-night comedy show. Not only was it her third time hosting, but she also served as a cast member from 2001 to 2008. Starting in 2004, she co-hosted Weekend Update first with long-time collaborator Tina Fey, then Horatio Sans and finally Seth Meyers.

It was Role Model’s first time as a musical guest. The episode also featured several cameos, including from Meyers and Fey. Overall, the episode felt more like a season premiere than the actual premiere last week and featured many sketches that would have aligned better with Poehler’s tenure on the show than the more recent seasons.

Cold Open

The Cold Open references U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi’s recent testimony in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee- finally, a political cold open that isn’t just James Austin Johnson doing a Donald Trump impression. This sketch is far more similar to SNL’s classic political cold opens. It isn’t perfect, but it is exciting to see the host get to appear in the open (Poehler plays Bondi).

There are a couple of high points to this Cold Open, including Andrew Dismukes as an overly folksy John Neely Kennedy. However, it gets a little stolen by Tina Fey as Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem. It is exciting to see her and Poehler back together. It may not hit the highs of some of their classic cold opens, but Fey does a great job.

Monologue

Poehler kept her monologue short and sweet. It is always clear when someone is confident in their monologue, and Poehler is a seasoned pro. She brought out the new cast, which was nice to see, but it almost felt like something that should have happened last week during the premiere. Still, Poehler delivered solid jokes in a classic monologue.

The Rudemans

“Um… I guess.” When Ashley Padilla brings home her new boyfriend, played by Dismukes, he has to deal with her family, who talk in a super passive-aggressive way. This sketch feels like it could have been on the show in 2006, just swap out Bowen Yang for Bill Hader and Sarah Sherman for Rachel Dratch. However, that doesn’t detract from it being a solid sketch. The mid-2000s were a great era of the show! The sketch feels like it might be a little one-note for a moment, but it delivered a good ending.

Non-Alcoholic Beer

This parody commercial for a non-non-alcoholic beer is another sketch that feels like it could have been on the show in the mid-2000s (this time, swap out Dismukes for Andy Samberg). It is a solid parody, cheers!

Psychic Talk Show

This psychic talk show is a little different because the host has a hard out at seven, forcing her to speed through her advice. There are some very funny moments in this sketch, but it largely feels just okay. The jokes ping-pong between farts and a psychic telling people that their family members are dead. While the sketch feels meh, it has a great final joke that sticks the landing.

The Hunting Wives Season 2 Trailer

This is a pitch-perfect parody trailer of Netflix’s “Straight but Lesbian, Horny Republican” soap opera, The Hunting Wives. It will likely be better for fans of the show, but it should work even for those who have just heard of it. It also features a great cameo from queer icon Aubrey Plaza.

Work Birth

A busy career woman can’t even take her due date off, so she brings her home birth to the office. This sketch has some funny moments, including Ben Marshall’s doula character and Mikey Day as the father. However, this sketch is one of the weaker ones of the night. It feels like it could have said more or gone even bigger.

Role Model performs

Role Model performed “Sally, When the Wine Runs Out” and “Some Protector” from the deluxe version of his album Kansas Anymore (The Longest Goodbye). Role Model’s arguably biggest song is “Sally, When the Wine Runs Out.” The song has become popular on social media partly because during Role Model’s live shows, he brings out someone to be the show’s ‘Sally’ and dance during the bridge of the song. Often, he brings out famous women to be his ‘Sally,’ and on the show, he chose to bring out Charli XCX. If you are going to watch one of his performances, make it “Sally, When the Wine Runs Out.” It is the more fun of the two, and Charli XCX does a great job at the ‘Sally Dance.’

Weekend Update

Weekend Update started strong this week with jokes about the ceasefire in Gaza and the Nobel Peace Prize. Sherman also stopped by as a Long Island woman concerned about Zohran Mamdani. Marcello Hernandez and Jane Wickline returned as Grant and Alyssa– the couple you can’t believe are together- to talk about fall. However, the final segment is the one people will likely be talking about (especially if they are fans of SNL). Poehler, Fey and Meyers reunited to do a “joke off” about a 13-pound baby delivered in a Tennessee hospital. It was a classic bit elevated by a sweet past host reunion.

Experienced Lawyers

This is a really dumb and incredibly fun sketch. In a paid advertisement for injury attorney services, two lawyers claim to have over 50 years of experience, but they keep being one-upped by lawyers who have been in the game longer. This sketch could have gone wrong in so many ways, but it all works (maybe, aside from one slightly hacky gay joke).

Emo Mom

Amy Poehler might be a middle-aged mom, but that doesn’t mean she also can’t be going through an emo phase. This sketch is jam-packed with funny moments, but it doesn’t all come together to be a standout sketch. That being said, Poehler is easily the best part, and her commitment to the performance is excellent.

Theme Song Masterclass

Two theme song writers teach a masterclass to Juilliard composers. While they made the theme song for Severance, their original draft was a story-style hip-hop song, a la The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. It is a fun one anchored by some really goofy songs.

SNL returns October 18, 2025, with Sabrina Carpenter on double duty as both host and musical guest.