Culture·USA

Nor’easter Outside, Mamdani Inside: Jalen Brunson’s SNL Season 52 Premiere and the New Political Impressions to Know

October 3, 2026
Tejal Somvanshi
2 mins read
Exterior view of Rockefeller Center in New York City.
Rockefeller Center in New York City houses 30 Rockefeller Plaza, where Saturday Night Live's Season 52 premiere aired as a nor'easter affected the city. [Photo: PortableNYCTours/Wikimedia Commons; CC BY-SA 4.0]

Saturday Night Live opened its 52nd season on September 26, 2026, with a cold open that satirised New York City’s emergency response to the nor’easter that was striking the city as the show broadcast live from 30 Rockefeller Plaza. If you missed the live broadcast, here is who did what, who played whom, and where to watch it now.

The Cold Open: What Happened

The Season 52 premiere cold open parodied a New York City mayoral emergency press briefing. Mayor Zohran Mamdani — who entered office in 2025 — was depicted delivering storm warnings to New Yorkers, with the sketch mixing emergency management satire and campaign surrogate dynamics. Mamdani was portrayed by Ramy Youssef.

The sketch included a debut appearance parodying political aide Natalie Harp, portrayed by featured cast member Ashley Padilla. The Harp portrayal leaned into what The Daily Beast described as an unhinged campaign surrogate energy — high-affect, loyalty-signalling, barely coherent — which generated the most immediate social media clips from the episode.

The host for the Season 52 premiere was Jalen Brunson. The musical guest was KATSEYE. Donald Trump was portrayed by James Austin Johnson.

Why the Cold Open Was Unusual

SNL cold opens are typically written and rehearsed through the week, with the final version locked after Saturday’s dress rehearsal. The Season 52 opener was notable for incorporating the real nor’easter emergency press conference that New York City officials had held hours before showtime. The sketch’s meteorological jokes and flood-warning messaging referenced a storm that was actively unfolding during broadcast.

Where to Watch It

The full Season 52 premiere is available on Peacock. The cold open clip, along with individual sketches, is available on the official Saturday Night Live YouTube channel. Clips are typically available within hours of broadcast; the full episode requires a Peacock subscription.

What This Season Is Setting Up

The Season 52 premiere introduces the Mamdani mayoral figure and the Harp surrogate archetype as characters in SNL’s political sketch repertoire. The show has historically used election-year seasons to develop recurring political impressions that anchor the weekly cold opens through November.

The Season 52 schedule, including upcoming hosts and musical guests, is available on NBC’s website.

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Related Karmactive coverage: Earlier Nor’easter East Coast Impacts provide additional context for this story.

Tejal Somvanshi

Meet Tejal Somvanshi, a soulful wanderer and a staunch wellness advocate, who elegantly navigates through the enchanting domains of Fashion and Beauty with a natural panache. Her journey, vividly painted with hues from a vibrant past in the media production world, empowers her to carve out stories that slice through the cacophony, where brands morph into characters and marketing gimmicks evolve into intriguing plot twists. To Tejal, travel is not merely an activity; it unfolds as a chapter brimming with adventures and serendipitous tales, while health is not just a regimen but a steadfast companion in her everyday epic. In the realms of fashion and beauty, she discovers her muse, weaving a narrative where each style narrates a story, and every beauty trend sparks a dialogue. Tejal seamlessly melds the spontaneous spirit of the media industry with the eloquent prose of a storyteller, crafting tales as vibrant and dynamic as the industry she thrives in.

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