Reviews Lifestyle The New Sober Boom Getting Hooked on Quitting Education Liberal Arts Cuts Are Dangerous Is College Necessary? Finance Dying Parents Costing Millennials Dear Gen Z Investing In Le Creuset Crypto Investing SEC vs Celebrity Crypto Promoters ‘Dark’ Personalities Drawn to BTC

Lifestyle The New Sober Boom Getting Hooked on Quitting

Getting Hooked on Quitting

Education Liberal Arts Cuts Are Dangerous Is College Necessary?

Liberal Arts Cuts Are Dangerous

Is College Necessary?

Finance Dying Parents Costing Millennials Dear Gen Z Investing In Le Creuset

Dying Parents Costing Millennials Dear

Gen Z Investing In Le Creuset

Crypto Investing SEC vs Celebrity Crypto Promoters ‘Dark’ Personalities Drawn to BTC

Investing SEC vs Celebrity Crypto Promoters ‘Dark’ Personalities Drawn to BTC

SEC vs Celebrity Crypto Promoters

‘Dark’ Personalities Drawn to BTC

Reviews Lifestyle The New Sober Boom Getting Hooked on Quitting Education Liberal Arts Cuts Are Dangerous Is College Necessary? Finance Dying Parents Costing Millennials Dear Gen Z Investing In Le Creuset Crypto Investing SEC vs Celebrity Crypto Promoters ‘Dark’ Personalities Drawn to BTC

Lifestyle The New Sober Boom Getting Hooked on Quitting

Getting Hooked on Quitting

Education Liberal Arts Cuts Are Dangerous Is College Necessary?

Liberal Arts Cuts Are Dangerous

Is College Necessary?

Finance Dying Parents Costing Millennials Dear Gen Z Investing In Le Creuset

Dying Parents Costing Millennials Dear

Gen Z Investing In Le Creuset

Crypto Investing SEC vs Celebrity Crypto Promoters ‘Dark’ Personalities Drawn to BTC

Investing SEC vs Celebrity Crypto Promoters ‘Dark’ Personalities Drawn to BTC

SEC vs Celebrity Crypto Promoters

‘Dark’ Personalities Drawn to BTC

“Happy WW3 to all who celebrate”: “Saturday Night Live” takes on U.S. attacks on Iran

The sketch show offered a rapid response to the U.S. attack on Iran

Published March 1, 2026 1:10PM (EST)

Working on less than 24 hours of turnaround, “Saturday Night Live” still found a way to weigh in on the United States attacking Iran.

In a thrown-together cold open, James Austin Johnson addressed the nation as “FIFA Peace Prize winner and Nobel Peace Prize taker” Donald Trump.

“We had to strike in the early hours of Saturday, which has two advantages militarily,” he said.”One, it’s after the stock market closes for the weekend. And two, it’s to cause immeasurable fear, rage and chaos in the “SNL” writers’ room…They probably had a big State of the Union thing they were gonna do. Not anymore!”

Johnson’s Trump went on to sing a version of Edwin Starr’s “War” that suggested Operation Epic Fury was a way to distract from the Epstein files before tossing the press conference to Colin Jost’s Pete Hegseth.

“We took out a horrendous, horrible leader who was oppressing his own people,” Jost said.

“Don’t get any ideas,” Johnson’s Trump interjected.

Weekend Update, the sketch show’s regular news desk segment, focused heavily on Iran.

“Guys, I’m starting to worry that President Trump might not win that peace prize,” Jost began the sketch.

The faux-anchor admitted that he wasn’t knowledgeable on Iran before throwing to a clip of a supposed expert. In the clip from 2011, Trump rages that the “president will start a war with Iran because he has absolutely no ability to negotiate.”

Start your day with essential news from Salon. Sign up for our free morning newsletter, Crash Course.

“Detractors on CNN are saying that Trump had no authorization for this war,” co-anchor Michael Che added. “But he actually did. [Benjamin] Netanyahu said it’s OK.”

Watch the segment below via YouTube:

Ayatollah killed, death toll climbs in Iran conflict

“Stay off social media when you’re drunk”: Omar responds to mocking Mace post about Khamenei

No vote, no war? Congress to challenge Trump on Iran strikes

Related Topics ------------------------------------------

Copyright © 2026 Salon.com, LLC. Reproduction of material from any Salon pages without written permission is strictly prohibited. SALON ® is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office as a trademark of Salon.com, LLC. Associated Press articles: Copyright © 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

By subscribing, you agree that Salon will automatically charge you at the then-current rate (currently $9.95/month or $95/year) each month/year until you cancel. Log in to your account anytime to cancel prior to renewal date and avoid future charges.

Your current signup type is

© Salon