Tom Hanks came back to Saturday Night Live on Halloween night, reviving his lounge-singer character David S. Pumpkins for the cold open — only for the sketch to be crashed by Donald Trump (James Austin Johnson), mid-panic about the midterms.
Tom Hanks as David S. Pumpkins (Credits: Deadline)
The October 31 episode, hosted by Inde Navarrette, leaned into the holiday with Hanks’ beloved sketch character back in his pumpkin-print suit. But the gag was quickly hijacked: Johnson’s Trump implored supporters to stop a potential midterm drubbing.
Trump crashes David S. Pumpkins sketch on SNL
“The midterms are on Tuesday, and the polls say we’re doing very badly,” Johnson’s Trump told the audience. “Ahhh. They are saying Texas is turning purple, just like my hands. And if it goes blue, then just like my hand, I will leave it for dead.”
The bit skewered Trump’s increasingly bizarre stump comments — including his fixation with men’s physiques — while Hanks played the straight man through the chaos. The cold open also featured Saidah Belo-Osagie as Nicki Minaj, in a spoof of the rapper’s vocal support for Trump.
Inde Navarrette hosts SNL Halloween episode
The show marked the SNL hosting debut of Inde Navarrette, the breakout star of the year’s horror hit Obsession. After her scream-queen turn on screen, the actress used the stage to tease her upcoming MCU role as Rogue in X-Men — setting the tone for a night that mixed horror, comedy and political satire.
Hanks’ return was a reminder of why the David S. Pumpkins sketch became an instant classic — and pairing it with midterm satire made this year’s Halloween opener one of the most talked-about cold opens of the season.
Source: Deadline — read the full story there.
