Colin Jost jokes about 'being surveilled' after Pete Hegseth sketch idea
The comedian recalled pitching a 'Pulp Fiction'-inspired cold open in the writers’ room
Colin Jost has revealed a “crazy” behind-the-scenes moment involving a Saturday Night Live sketch idea about Pete Hegseth that, according to him, unexpectedly came to life in real events shortly after it was discussed in the writers’ room.
Appearing on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, the SNL “Weekend Update” co-anchor said the writers had been brainstorming cold open material when he pitched an idea involving Hegseth and a reference to the iconic Bible verse scene from Pulp Fiction.
“And I was like, ‘Would it be funny if Hegseth just did that Bible verse that they have in Pulp Fiction?’ … we talked about it and we were like that would be too ridiculous and it would take up all this time in the cold open,” Jost recalled.
The comedian said the team ultimately dismissed the idea at the time, believing it was too absurd to work within the sketch format.
However, he added that the concept took an unexpected turn when similar moments reportedly surfaced in real life shortly afterward.
“And then he for real did it like two weeks later!” Jost said. “And I was like, ‘Well the good news is I’m being surveilled, so that’s a relief.’ It was crazy.”
Jost noted that the coincidence later became part of SNL’s comedic material, with the show eventually referencing the moment in a cold open after it had played out publicly.
The writer-comedian’s remarks highlight the long-running comedy show’s habit of drawing inspiration from real-world political and cultural moments, sometimes even those that appear to echo ideas first floated inside its own writers’ room.
