Pete Davidson returns to SNL cold open, skewering ICE agents in satirical sketch

Pete Davidson made a return to Saturday Night Live during the show’s cold open, delivering a pointed and satirical sketch that took aim at ICE agents and government confusion. The appearance marked one of Davidson’s most talked-about returns since leaving the long-running NBC series.

In the sketch, Davidson portrayed border czar Tom Homan, addressing a group of fictional ICE agents during a briefing. The segment leaned heavily into political satire, mocking mixed messaging, public controversies and the agency’s obsession with avoiding public scrutiny rather than accountability. At one point, Davidson’s character jokingly suggested that the real problem wasn’t misconduct, but the fact that it was caught on camera.

The sketch escalated as agents appeared increasingly confused about their mission, offering absurd guesses that reflected broader cultural and political chaos. Davidson’s character attempted to rein them in, repeatedly emphasizing optics over action, culminating in the blunt advice to simply “not get filmed.”

The cold open set the tone for the episode, blending absurd humor with topical commentary in classic SNL fashion. Davidson’s return was met with strong reactions online, with viewers praising his delivery and the sketch’s willingness to tackle controversial subject matter head-on.

A former SNL cast member, Davidson has made occasional guest appearances since his departure, but this return stood out as one of the most memorable moments of the season, reaffirming his enduring connection to the show and its political satire legacy.