SNL Hosts NYC Mayoral Debate With Miles Teller, Ramy Youssef, Shane Gillis

Saturday Night Live kicked off its cold open with a mock New York City mayoral debate that was crashed by President Donald Trump.

Miles Teller, who served as the night’s host, portrayed candidate and former New York governor Andrew Cuomo. While introducing himself, Teller’s Cuomo introduced himself as a “born, bred New Yorker” who “knows this city like the back of a woman’s back.”

Special guest Ramy Youssef was next introduced as Zohran Mamdani who said he was “happy to be here, and I’m ready to spend the next hour hearing my opponents pronounce my name in ways you couldn’t begin to imagine.”

“And I know some of you are out there scared of the idea of a young socialist Muslim mayor,” he said, continuing, “So allow me to put you at ease by smiling after every answer in a way that physically hurts my face.”

Finally, Shane Gillis stepped into the role of Curtis Sliwa, which led them into the crux of the debate. The faux candidates answered various questions, including why they would “want the worst job in the world,” their go-to bagel orders and what they’d say to “undecided voters.”

Towards the end of their debate, James Austin Johnson’s Trump made his grand appearance when the candidates where asked what the “biggest problem” they’d have to tackle as mayor, where he joked that he might as well become the next mayor of New York.

“It’s me!” Johnson’s Trump exclaimed. “Yes, they can pretend this election is about housing and taxes, but we all know it’s about me, right? ‘Cause I’m gonna be very involved, very hands on. This guy knows about hands on, right, Cuomo?”

Johnson’s Trump even answered Kenan Thompson’s (who portrayed the debate moderator) question about their go-to bagel orders, which he said is a “Big Mac with a hole in the middle,” to which he went on to reference his tenure living in the Big Apple.

“And I may not live in New York anymore. Oh, but I’m always watching, lurking in the shadows, much like the late, great Phantom of the Opera,” he said. “Terrible what happened to him in terms of opera, with regard to being burned by chandelier. Perhaps I’ll add New York Mayor to my list of duties.

“Come on, open up your mind. Let your fantasies unwind in this darkness which you know. The darkness of the music of the night,” Johnson’s Trump sang to close out the cold open.

In the Eternity star’s opening monologue, he notably spoke about losing his home in the Los Angeles wildfires at the beginning of the year.

“A lot has happened since the last time that I hosted [SNL],” Teller said. “A few months ago, my wife and I lost our house in the Palisades fire. But don’t worry, seriously, do not worry, we’re doing great.”

“But that experience has made me incredibly grateful to have so many places that I can call home,” he added. “But based on what happened to the last place that I called home, I just want to say, there’s fire exits located there, there, there,” he said while pointing to differing spots in the studio.

Saturday night marked the second time Teller has served as an SNL host, where he was joined by Brandi Carlile as musical guest. His most recent appearance on the late night show was on Oct. 1, 2022, making it exactly three years and one month since his debut on the series.

Later in the night, Teller impersonated Jonathan and Drew Scott of the Property Brothers, in a pre-taped spoof that touched on the real-life demolition of the White House’s East Wing. There, they renovated the landmark and created a brand new ballroom.

“This week, we’re taking on our biggest challenge yet: building the new White House ballroom,” he said. “Donald and Melania moved into this house nine years ago. They were evicted for four years, but they moved back in. Donald has a strong eye for interior design.”

Teller’s Property Brothers took the audience around the White House in the bit, where a string of Halloween decorations put up by Melania Trump (played by Chloe Fineman) were shown. “Those are for Christmas,” Fineman’s Melania asserted.

They clarified if Trump had a budget for the renovation, to which he responded, between $350 million and infinity.”

“It will be ready just in time for my third term,” Johnson’s Trump said of the addition to the White House, to which Fineman’s Melania responsed, “That’s right! We want this to be our forever home.”

“Yes, because we’re not leaving,” Johnson’s Trump continued. “We’re going to be doing something called coup.”

The bit ended with Teller’s Property Brothers asking for their payment. “Aren’t you guys from Canada? Johnson’s Trump asked before calling in ICE to end the sketch.

The Top Gun: Maverick star was the fourth host of season 51. He’ll be followed by Nikki Glaser and Glen Powell as the next string of hosts in the next coming weeks. Sombr and Olivia Dean will join as musical guests on Nov. 8 and 15, respectively. Earlier this season, Bad Bunny, Amy Poehler and Sabrina Carpenter took turns as hosts.

More to come.