Were you as disappointed as I was by the Season 50 finale of Saturday Night Live?

Saturday Night Live ended its 50th season on May 17, 2025, with Scarlett Johansson hosting for the seventh time and Bad Bunny as the musical guest. The episode marked a big moment for Johansson, as she became the first woman to host the show that many times. Familiar segments like the "Weekend Update" joke swap between Colin Jost and Michael Che were also back.

But for a lot of viewers, the finale highlighted a problem the show has faced for years—SNL just can’t seem to move on from the same political jokes, especially when it comes to Donald Trump. The cold open featured James Austin Johnson once again impersonating Trump.

It wasn’t a bad impression, and Johnson has long been praised for his Trump portrayal. But the sketch itself felt like a repetition of so many others. In my opinion, the jokes about Trump’s bravado, his interactions with world leaders, and his trademark speech patterns felt like the greatest hits album we’ve heard too many times before.

For a show that built its reputation on bold, fresh satire, were you as disappointed as I was to see SNL once again defaulting to Trump sketches in its milestone finale?

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The Trump problem: Stuck in the same loop in Saturday Night Live

There’s no denying that Donald Trump has been a central figure in American politics for years, and Saturday Night Live has built much of its political humor around him. But by the time the season 50 finale aired, it was hard to ignore how often the show kept circling back to the same material.

The cold open once again featured James Austin Johnson as Trump, this time in a sketch that imagined him in the Middle East, discussing a fictional $400 million jet deal. While Johnson’s impression remains one of the show’s strongest, the jokes felt repetitive.

We’ve seen the exaggerated hand gestures, the over-the-top bravado, and the same speech patterns so many times before that it’s hard to laugh at them in the same way. Even Weekend Update leaned into Trump references, using political jokes that felt like reruns from earlier seasons.

There’s a fine line between holding public figures accountable and relying on them as a comedic crutch, and Saturday Night Live seems stuck on the latter when it comes to Trump. At some point, you have to wonder if the show will ever move on and find new material. Were you as disappointed as I was that the finale played it so safe?

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The other parts of Saturday Night Live finale fell flat too

While the Trump sketch was a big part of the Season 50 finale, it wasn’t the only part that felt off. Scarlett Johansson’s musical monologue, a parody of Piano Man, was meant to celebrate her hosting milestone, but it felt more like filler than a real highlight.

The song went through season moments and had quick cameos from cast members, but it didn’t have the energy or excitement that you’d expect from a big season finale. The Kanye West elevator sketch, with Kenan Thompson playing Kanye and Mike Myers bringing back his 2005 Saturday Night Live character, also felt a bit flat.

It was meant to be a fun throwback, but it didn’t really bring anything new to the table. It felt like they were trying to get laughs from an old moment instead of coming up with something fresh. It felt like an attempt to mine laughs from past controversies instead of creating something new.

Even the “Weekend Update” segment, a long-running favorite, didn’t deliver the usual spark. The joke swap between Jost and Che was there, but the rest of the segment relied heavily on familiar beats and political references. Overall, the finale felt like a missed opportunity—more of a look back than a step forward for the show.

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Saturday Night Live episodes are available to stream on Peacock.