Cecily Strong makes surprise return to 'SNL' as cast mocks Jeanine Pirro and Pete Hegseth
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- "Saturday Night Live" alum Cecily Strong returned to the show to play Jeanine Pirro this week.
- President Donald Trump recently named Pirro as interim US Attorney for Washington, D.C.
- James Austin Johnson's Trump said in the sketch that Pirro has the "most important quality I look for in a lawyer — she's on TV."
The latest episode of "Saturday Night Live" saw cast alum Cecily Strong make a surprise return to play former New York prosecutor and television host Jeanine Pirro.
Strong appeared in the episode's cold open alongside James Austin Johnson as President Donald Trump, who recently named the real Pirro as interim US Attorney for Washington, D.C.
The sketch began by returning to a popular topic in recent weeks, Trump's controversial tariff policies, with Johnson wondering: "Can a country go out of business? We're going to find out."
But he soon moved on to some "good news," telling the audience he had "just appointed one of the loudest people I know to be the US attorney in D.C.: Jeanine Pirro."
Trump announced the Fox News host as the interim top prosecutor for DC in a post on Truth Social earlier this week, saying she was "incredibly well qualified" for the role.
"Jeanine will be the newest addition to my incredible team in my administration," Johnson's Trump added, after Strong entered to rapturous applause.
"And what a team, Mr. President," Strong's Pirro responded. "I'm so proud to be part of this group full of Russian assets, booze hounds, and people famous for the little baby animals they've killed."
Johnson's Trump also touted Pirro as a "great legal mind" and said she had the "most important quality I look for in a lawyer — she's on TV."
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Strong has impersonated Pirro on "SNL" several times, most memorably on "Weekend Update," where a running gag has included her doing a spit take directed at the segment's anchor, Colin Jost.
The latest episode brought back this joke after Jost joined the sketch as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
"I love Pete Hegseth. He's my old drinking buddy," Strong's Pirro said as Jost entered the scene.
"I promised I would never have a bottle touch my lips," Jost told Johnson's Trump, before Strong covered the open-mouthed star in wine.
"Aw yeah. That's the stuff," Jost's Hegseth said.
Johnson's Trump ended the sketch: "Folks, they're not the A Team. They're the AA Team."
Elsewhere in the episode, "The White Lotus" star Walton Goggins took on hosting duties for the first time, acknowledging his newfound "sex symbol" status following his much-lauded performance on the hit show.
"Some of my friends have even asked me, 'Walton, what's it like to become a sex symbol at 53 years old?'" he said.
"You know what, if I'm being honest, it feels fantastic," he continued. "At least it did until I Googled myself and read some of the headlines."