If there were ever an awards show tailor-made for Donald Trump, Saturday Night Live just invented it. During the January 24 cold open, James Austin Johnson’s Trump took the stage to host the very first Trump-branded Oscars — an Academy Awards parody where every category revolved around celebrating the president. “After what all my little freaks and psychos in ICE have been doing, I need more distractions,” Trump announced. “Look, everything’s gold and shiny!” The night kicked off with the most shocking upset imaginable: Best Picture of Me went to a photo of Trump receiving the FIFA Peace Prize, labeled “another fake award that he made FIFA invent to give to himself.” Trump accepted with a speech that managed to be self-congratulatory, deranged, and oddly bleak all at once. “I have so few people to thank,” he said. “Myself, and, of course, the big man upstairs, which is what I call my brain tumor. And if I can be serious for a moment, there’s so much horrible stuff going on in our country and the world right now. But I promise you, I’m just getting started.” From there, the categories only got more specific. The award for best kiss went to United States Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem for kissing up to Trump, while Mike Myers made a surprise cameo as Elon Musk to accept a lifetime achievement award for comedy — “even though he might not always intend it.” Accepting as Musk, Myers deadpanned, “I’m so emotionless to be here, and if anyone knows humor, it’s me.” Naturally, the show saved its biggest gut punch for the end. A parody In Memoriam segment honored things “we had to say goodbye to” this year because the Trump administration “destroyed them,” including the East Wing of the White House, NATO, DEI, checks and balances, civil rights — and, inexplicably, Marjorie Taylor Greene. The sketch also squeezed in a few bonus absurdities, including Sarah Sherman debuting an impression of Aunt Gladys from Weapons and Trump announcing his latest expansion plans. “I’m taking Greenland, and I’m taking Zootopia. We love Zootopia. I love those guys. I recognize all of those animals from my cognitive exam.” Saturday’s episode marked Teyana Taylor’s SNL hosting debut, landing amid awards-season buzz for her performance as Perfidia Beverly Hills in One Battle After Another. Taylor recently won best supporting actress at the Golden Globes and picked up an Oscar nomination in the same category earlier this month. The show was also the second SNL episode of 2026, following the Christmas break and the 11th episode of Season 51 overall. So far this season, Trump has dominated the cold opens, with Johnson’s impression regularly anchoring sketches built around press conferences, White House addresses, and whatever headline chaos the week provided. SNL will return with a new episode on January 31, with Alexander Skarsgård making his hosting debut alongside musical guest Cardi B. The appearance comes ahead of Skarsgård’s upcoming film Pillion, as well as his role in the Charli XCX mockumentary The Moment. Tags