'SNL' takes on Iran attacks and Khamenei killing in cold open

The latest "SNL" cold open couldn't be more timely.

"Saturday Night Live"kicked off its Feb. 28 episode with a sketchaddressing news that the United States and Israel launched military strikes and combat operations against Iranearlier in the day, killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

In the cold open, James Austin Johnson played PresidentDonald Trumpdelivering remarks and declaring, "Happy World War III to all who celebrate!"

Johnson's Trump went on to say he launched the attack on Iran because he and his "Board of Peace decided that we were bored of peace" and because he needed help "distracting from the Epstein files."

"I know on the campaign trail I promised no new foreign wars," he said. "But listen: Wars, plural, right? I'm allowed to do one."

Surprise!'Heated Rivalry' star Hudson Williams joins Connor Storrie on 'SNL'

In a meta moment, Johnson's Trump also implied the breaking news required "SNL" to throw out a cold open focused on the president's State of the Union address earlier in the week.

"People are asking, 'Why attack Iran now?' Well, we had to strike in the early hours of Saturday, which has two advantages militarily: 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' writer's room," he said. "Those guys were going crazy. They probably had a big State of the Union address thing they were going to do. Not anymore!"

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Colin Jostsoon entered as Defense SecretaryPete Hegsethto declare that although he seems confident, "I am scared and I don't know what I'm doing. When he said we were going to blow up the leader of Iran, I thought he was kidding."

Harry Styles is returning to 'SNL':Get the details

The "SNL" sketch kicked off the show's first new episode after a nearly month-long hiatus. It was also a return to the sketch show's typical format of beginning with a Trump spoof;the cold open of the previous episode on Jan. 31, hosted by Alexander Skarsgård, was rare in that it didn't feature Johnson's portrayal of the president. Instead, former cast member Pete Davidson returned to play White House border czarTom Homan.

Connor Storriehosted the Feb. 28 episode of "SNL," coming off the massive success of "Heated Rivalry." The hockey romance series, streaming on HBO Max, has catapulted Storrie from obscurity to stardom, and the actor made his debut on late-night television in January with a "Late Night With Seth Meyers" interview.

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Mumford & Sons served as musical guest for Storrie's "SNL" episode.

Who's hosting 'SNL' next?

Saturday's episode is the first ofthree consecutive weeks of new "SNL" shows.

Next week's episode will feature thereturn of Ryan Gosling, who is serving as host for the fourth time alongside musical guest Gorillaz. The week after,Harry Styles is doing double dutyas host and musical guest on March 14.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:'SNL' cold open addresses Trump's Iran attacks, Khamenei killing

byKonstantin Pynzar

in

February 28, 2026

'SNL' takes on Iran attacks and Khamenei killing in cold open

The latest "SNL" cold open couldn't be more timely. "Saturday Night Live"kicked off ...

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'Heated Rivalry' star Hudson Williams joins Connor Storrie on 'SNL'

Things are getting "heated" on "Saturday Night Live."

"Heated Rivalry" star Connor Storriemade his "SNL" hosting debut onthe sketch show's Feb. 28 episode, and he wasn't alone: His costar on the wildly popular hockey romance series,Hudson Williams, was also in the building.

Williams appeared early in the episode in a sketch where a couple argues after a surprise proposal in front of the Rockefeller Center ice skating rink, only for the man to become distracted by a group of guys gleefully skating around behind them. Williams skated into the sketch and hugged Storrie, drawing cheers from the "SNL" studio audience. "Sorry I'm late, fellas, but I have a serious question: Who's ready to skate their butts off?" Williams asked.

'SNL' cold open:James Austin Johnson's President Donald Trump defends Iran attacks

Later, Williams helped Storrie introduce musical guest Mumford & Sons, and he joined Storrie on stage as the host said goodnight at the end of the episode.

Williams and Storrie star on "Heated Rivalry" as two hockey players who become entangled in a secret, steamy relationship, despite being rivals in the sport. The show has become a sensation since debuting on HBO Max last year, skyrocketing both Williams and Storrie to fame.

In his monologue, Storrie joked that, "Some of you may have seen literally all of me" on "Heated Rivalry," which is filled with graphic sex scenes.

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"It's a show that has taught a lot of people about hockey, and it's taught a lot of straight women that their sexuality is actually gay guy," he said.

See 'Heated Rivalry' stars:Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie in photos

On a more serious note, Storrie noted he has "only technically been a professional actor for like six months now" and was working as a waiter before landing "Heated Rivalry." He said he has been "preparing for this for my entire life since I was a 12 year-old obsessed with acting."

'Heated Rivalry' stars in the spotlight:Meet Connor Storrie and Hudson Wiliams

"I really did not know if this would ever to happen to me, and when I got the call that I was going to be on 'SNL,' I honestly cried," he also said.

The Feb. 28 episode marked the "SNL" hosting debut for Storrie. The actor's busy weekend will continue on March 1, when he's scheduled to be a presenter at the Actor Awards in Los Angeles.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Connor Storrie 'SNL' features Hudson Williams 'Heated Rivalry' cameo

byKonstantin Pynzar

in

February 28, 2026

'Heated Rivalry' star Hudson Williams joins Connor Storrie on 'SNL'

Things are getting "heated" on "Saturday Night Live." "Heated Rivalry" star Con...

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With sniper rifle photos, Kim Jong Un intensifies spotlight on his daughter, a potential successor

North Korea on Saturday released pictures showing leader Kim Jong Un and his teenage daughter at a rifle range, the latest propaganda images to promote the child touted as a potential successor.

State media KCNA said Kim and his daughter – along with Kim Jong Un's powerful sister Kim Yo Jong and other officials – fired the rifles after the North Korean leader gifted them to military leaders to salute their service to the reclusive state's ruling party.

One of the images – which was flagged during a CNN check as being potentially AI-manipulated – showed the girl,believed to be named Kim Ju Ae and in her early teens, firing a sniper rifle.

In all, North Korea released 27 pictures of the event.

CNN checked four of the photos for signs of manipulation. Only the picture of Kim Ju Ae firing the rifle showed possible use of AI.

Kim specially prepared the gifts of the "new generation sniper's rifle" for the key leaders, calling it "a really wonderful weapon," the KCNA report said.

The shooting-range event came after the conclusion of a congress of the Korean Workers' Party, a largely rubber-stamp political gathering of the nation's elite, where Kim's leadership was reaffirmed by unanimous vote.

At the assembly, Kim Yo Jong was promoted to director of a party department after years in a deputy role, solidifying her standing in the inner circle. Several senior party and military posts were reshuffled, elevating younger loyalists.

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But much of the attention was on Kim's daughter.

Kim Ju Ae stood with her father on the grandstand as he reviewed some14,000 troops goosestepping through Kim Il Sung Square, named after her great-grandfather, in the capital of Pyongyang.

She has also been at her father's side for previous missile tests and other ruling-party events, fueling speculation that she will be the fourth-generation successor to the Kim family dynasty that has ruled North Korea since before the Korean War started in 1950.

In February South Korea's spy agency said it believes the dictator has "entered the stage of nominating her as successor."

There has been no official confirmation from North Korea on the daughter's role, but the image of her purportedly firing the sniper rifle on Friday brought even more attention to her.

"By emphasizing that Kim Ju Ae knows how to fire a rifle, North Korea is hinting that she is undergoing succession training," Yang Mu-jin, a distinguished professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul,told the Chosun Daily newspaper.

Other images appeared to show Kim Ju Ae, wearing a leather jacket, observing through binoculars as her father took a shot, and helping present the rifles to others at the event.

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byKonstantin Pynzar

in

February 28, 2026

With sniper rifle photos, Kim Jong Un intensifies spotlight on his daughter, a potential successor

North Korea on Saturday released pictures showing leader Kim Jong Un and his teenage daughter at a rifle range, the late...

Read More