Amy Poehler Hosts SNL at 51st Season Midpoint With Role Model

Amy Poehler returned to Saturday Night Live as host on Saturday night, Oct. 11, with musician Role Model as the episode’s musical guest, marking the show’s midpoint return for its 51st season and the 50th anniversary of SNL’s first broadcast in 1975. The episode aired live on NBC at 11:30 p.m. Eastern and streamed on the network’s digital platforms.

The cold open lampooned a recent Senate hearing involving the attorney general, with Poehler portraying the attorney general and former cast member Tina Fey making a surprise cameo as a Department of Homeland Security figure. The sketch echoed moments from the hearing and amplified them for comic effect, including a conspicuous prop entrance for Fey’s character. Later in the show Poehler and guest Aubrey Plaza led a taped parody that took aim at the phenomenon of a streaming drama, trading affectionate satire and sharper gags about the series’ tone and characters.

Weekend Update turned into an alumni reunion when Fey and Seth Meyers joined Poehler at the news desk alongside regular anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che for a headline-driven joke-off. The group riffed on several timely items, including a report that a Tennessee woman...