A political interruption for David S. Pumpkins
Belo-Osagie's Minaj arrived late in the sketch as James Austin Johnson's President Donald Trump praised her allegiance. "Trump's out here killing it," she declared, "and by it, I mean my career." The parody presented her as Trump's next pick for press secretary. Minaj has not publicly responded to the sketch.
The cold open began with a different premise: a low-budget haunted attraction. Grace Reiter and Jeremy Culhane played a couple on a date, with Kenan Thompson's Grim Reaper guiding their ride. Tom Hanks returned as David S. Pumpkins alongside dancing skeletons played by Mikey Day and former cast member Bobby Moynihan. The sketch described it as the character's third outing since his 2016 introduction.
Johnson's Trump stopped the action before the Pumpkins routine could develop. "I'll save you four minutes: he keeps popping up and confusing people on the ride. The end," he said. He then identified a resemblance: "We both appeared in 2016, we're both very loud, very orange." Complaints about Republican polling ahead of the midterms followed, before Minaj's entrance.
The cold open also featured Veronika Slowikowska as recently departed press secretary Katie Zacharia. Her attempt at the show's signature opening line went off course: "With confidence. Live from New York. And from so many cities," she said before being cut off.
How the press secretary suggestion reached the sketch
The Minaj material followed her Oct. 25 trip with Trump aboard Air Force One to Port Huron, Michigan. At his rally there, she endorsed Republican candidates Mike Rogers and John James before the Nov. 3 midterm elections. Trump asked her to stand before the crowd and commented on her appearance, providing material for a series of jokes by Johnson's Trump.
Minaj also promised Trump her continued backing at the rally: "it is an honor to stand with you every single time. And I will continue to support you forever and ever. If you run again, I will support you again."
That day, White House communications director Steven Cheung posted video from Air Force One on X with the caption, "Ladies and gentlemen, I think we may have found the new White House Press Secretary!" His post received more than 5.4 million views and 32,000 likes. The official White House account responded with an eyeball emoji, while Trump adviser Alex Bruesewitz also promoted the suggestion.
Trump subsequently called it "a good idea" on The Benny Show and added, "I'm gonna think about that." The position was unfilled when SNL aired: Karoline Leavitt had stepped down at the end of August after 19 months, and her replacement, Zacharia, left in October after about a week. Accounts differ on whether Zacharia was fired after five days or resigned after seven.
Minaj remained a long shot in Polymarket's prediction market as of Oct. 29, with a 3 percent chance of becoming the next press secretary. White House principal deputy press secretary Anna Kelly stood at 19 percent, and conservative commentator Scott Jennings at 10 percent.
Minaj's political comments and chart record
After Trump described her as his "favorite," Minaj said she was "not going anywhere." Her political activity that week also included an Oct. 28 attack on New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on X. Minaj called Hochul "evil," said she would "not escape God's wrath," and urged Black people and Christians to support Republican challenger Bruce Blakeman. Hochul told Minaj to "get outside" and "stop going to Trump rallies."
Minaj's career includes several Billboard chart milestones. She reached 100 Billboard Hot 100 entries in 2018, the first woman to do so, and holds the record for Hot 100 top 10 hits among female rappers. Her "Say So" remix with Doja Cat reached No. 1 in 2020, making them the first female rap duo to lead the chart.
Navarrette's debut and the coming lineup
Obsession star Inde Navarrette made her hosting debut with a monologue that took aim at previous host Shane Gillis. Her joke, "every morning, I put on my little whore outfit, and I hit the gym," referred back to Gillis' controversial comments about women's gym clothes during his Oct. 10 monologue.
Musical guest Gracie Abrams returned for her second SNL appearance, following her December 2024 debut. Her single "Here You Come, There You Go" had arrived Oct. 29. She is scheduled to begin the Look at My Life arena tour Dec. 2 in Denver, supporting her third album, Daughter From Hell.
The Oct. 31 episode had an 11:30 p.m. ET/PT start time. Next on the season 52 schedule is Druski on Nov. 7, billed as the first social media influencer to host SNL, with musical guest The Strokes. John Mulaney will host Nov. 14, joined by Phoebe Bridgers.
