During its Oct. 31, 2026 Halloween episode, Saturday Night Live returned from a two-week hiatus for Season 52, Episode 4. The cold open featured a surprise appearance by Tom Hanks as David S. Pumpkins, before being abruptly interrupted by James Austin Johnson as Donald Trump to mock upcoming midterm elections.
Tom Hanks Revives David S. Pumpkins Before an Interruption
The sketch opened on the “Tombs of Doom” amusement park ride, guided by Kenan Thompson alongside riders played by Grace Reiter and Jeremy Culhane. Featured among the haunted attractions was Hanks, marking his third live-action appearance as the character David S. Pumpkins since originating the role in October 2016. Flanked by dancing skeletons played by Mikey Day and a returning Bobby Moynihan, Pumpkins performed his dorky routine before Johnson’s Donald Trump crashed the set.
Boom! It’s me, Donald Trump, your one true God, pausing an ‘SNL’ skit yet again. Oh, are you sad you don’t get to see your third David Pumpkins scene? I’ll save you four minutes. He keeps popping up and confusing the people on the ride. The end.
James Austin Johnson as Donald Trump
The 70-year-old actor first suited back up as David S. Pumpkins, a character originally created alongside Mikey Day, Bobby Moynihan, and Streeter Seidell for a 2016 Halloween sketch that parodied the viral Little Superstar
video. Hanks previously reprised the character during Season 48 in an episode hosted by Jack Harlow. During Saturday’s cold open, the character popped in about a minute after the riders boarded the fright attraction. Following the interruption, Hanks, Moynihan, Day, and the rest of the cast members in the scene were forced to remain frozen behind Johnson’s Trump as the political segment continued.
James Austin Johnson’s Trump Mocks the Nov. 3 Midterms
With the midterm elections scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 3, Johnson’s Trump lamented grim polling numbers and drew comparisons between himself and Pumpkins, noting that both appeared in 2016 and are loud, orange, and annoying. The political satire leaned heavily into recent controversies, lampooning Trump’s physical compliments toward political figures and his closing campaign messaging.
The midterms are on Tuesday, and the polls say we’re doing very badly. They’re saying Texas is turning purple, just like my hand.
James Austin Johnson as Donald Trump
He urged viewers to vote for Republican candidate Ken Paxton—whom he described as an ugly son of a b–h
—while complimenting Democratic challenger James Talarico as better looking, highlighting what he termed a dynamite a–
. The sketch also referenced the real-life comments Trump made regarding the physique of Sen. Jon Husted (R-OH) as he sought to hold his seat against Democrat Sherrod Brown, with Johnson’s Trump humorously attributing the commentary to a condition he dubbed “gay dementia.”
Nicki Minaj Parody and Katie Zacharia’s Fumbled Opening Line
The cold open also welcomed new cast member Saidah Belo-Osagie as rapper Nicki Minaj, poking fun at the musician’s vocal support for the MAGA movement and joking about a potential appointment as White House press secretary. Later in the segment, Trump brought out former White House press secretary Katie Zacharia—played by Veronika Slowikowska—giving her a chance to deliver the show’s signature opening line after her real-life five-day tenure ended earlier in the month.
Liv from New York… and from so many cities.
Veronika Slowikowska as Katie Zacharia
After Zacharia—who earned a law degree in real life though she is not a licensed lawyer—nervously flubbed the line, Trump quickly shoved her out of frame, declaring that she had whiffed the opportunity. Trump then turned to Hanks, asking him to take over the responsibility. Hanks accepted the honor and delivered the iconic shout to close out the sketch, yelling, Liiiiivvve from New York, it's Saturday Night!
before the program transitioned to the evening’s host, “Obsession” standout Inde Navarrette, and musical guest Gracie Abrams.
history’s most heinous, homicidal haunts pic.twitter.com/udeRgaZLhw
welcome back, David S. Pumpkins pic.twitter.com/4Z0JIrYdjJ