Amy Poehler brings a retro flair to ‘SNL’ with Tina Fey and Seth Meyers

Amy Poehler hosted Saturday evening live with musical guest Role Model. The episode marked SNL‘s 50th anniversary and was the second of the 51st season. The first episode of SNL broadcast on October 11, 1975.

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

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

Opened cold

The Cold Open refers to US Attorney General Pam Bondi’s recent testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee – finally a political cold open where it’s not just James Austin Johnson who gives the impression of Donald Trump. This sketch is much more similar SNL‘s classic political cold opens up. It’s not perfect, but it’s exciting to see the host appear in the open air (Poehler plays Bondi).

There are a few highlights to this Cold Open, including Andrew Dismukes as an overly folksy John Neely Kennedy. However, it is stolen a bit by Tina Fey as Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem. It’s exciting to see her and Poehler together again. 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’s always clear when someone is confident in their monologue, and Poehler is a seasoned professional. She brought out the new cast, which was nice to see, but it almost felt like something that should have happened last week at the premiere. Still, Poehler delivered solid jokes in a classic monologue.

The Rudemans

“Uh…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 Bowen Yang for Bill Hader and Sarah Sherman for Rachel Dratch. However, that doesn’t change the fact that it is a solid draft. The mid-2000s was a great era of the show! The sketch feels like it’s a bit of a minor note, but it delivered a good ending.

Non-alcoholic beer

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

Psychic talk show

This paranormal talk show is a little different as the host gets hit hard at seven o’clock, forcing her to quickly follow her advice. There are some really funny moments in this sketch, but for the most part it just feels good. The jokes ping-ponge between farts and a psychic telling people their relatives are dead. Although the sketch feels meh, it has a great final joke that sticks the landing.

The hunting women Season 2 trailer

This is a perfect parody trailer of Netflix’s soap opera ‘Straight but Lesbian, Horny Republican’, The hunting women. It will probably be better for fans of the show, but it should work even for those who just heard of it. It also features a great cameo from queer icon Aubrey Plaza.

Work birth

A busy career woman can’t even reveal her due date, 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 of the night. It feels like it could have said more or been even bigger.

Role model performs

Role Model sang “Sally, When the Wine Runs Out” and “Some Protector” from the deluxe version of his album Kansas Anymore (the longest goodbye). Perhaps Role Model’s greatest 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 who is the ‘Sally’ of the show and dances during the song’s bridge. He often brings out famous women as his ‘Sally’, and during the show he chose to bring out Charli XCX. If you’re going to see one of his performances, make it “Sally, When the Wine Runs Out.” It’s the more fun of the two, and Charli XCX does a great job on the ‘Sally Dance.’

Weekend update

Weekend Update started off strong this week with jokes about the ceasefire Gaza and the Nobel Peace Prize. Sherman also came by as 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. The last segment, however, is what people will likely talk about (especially if they’re fans of it). SNL). Poehler, Fey and Meyers reunited to make a “joke” about a 13-pound baby being delivered at a hospital in Tennessee. It was a classic piece, taken to the next level by a fun reunion of a past host.

Experienced Lawyers

This is a really silly and incredibly fun sketch. In a paid ad for personal injury lawyers, two lawyers claim they have more than 50 years of experience, but they keep being challenged 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 a slightly hacky gay joke).

Emo mom

Amy Poehler may be a middle-aged mom, but that doesn’t mean she can’t go through an emo phase too. This sketch is chock full of funny moments, but not all of it is a standout sketch. That said, Poehler is by far the best part, and her commitment to the performance is excellent.

Masterclass theme song

Two theme songwriters give a master class to Juilliard composers. While they made the theme song dismissal, their original version was a story-style hip-hop song, a la The fresh prince of Bel-Air. It’s a fun song, anchored by some really crazy songs.

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