From the “nostalgia” factor to the comics’ indelible chemistry, to the “many iconic things that came out of it,” this political sketch stands apart for Jost.

Colin Jost reveals his pick for the best cold open in Saturday Night Live history

From the "nostalgia" factor to the comics' indelible chemistry, to the "many iconic things that came out of it," this political sketch stands apart for Jost.

By Ryan Coleman

Ryan Coleman

Ryan Coleman is a news writer for with previous work in MUBI Notebook, Slant, and the LA Review of Books.

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March 19, 2026 12:14 a.m. ET

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Colin Jost during Weekend Update on the Oct. 4, 2025, 'SNL' episode. Credit:

- Colin Jost looks back at 51 seasons of *Saturday Night Live *to pick his favorite cold open of all time.

- On the inaugural episode of *SNL*'s new short-form series *The Rundown*, the "Weekend Update" anchor chose 2008's sketch pitting Tina Fey's Sarah Palin against Amy Poehler's Katie Couric.

- "It's nostalgic for me, because it was early on for me as a writer," Jost explained. "It was just a great combination of [Seth Meyers] and Tina and Amy together — you got to see them playing off each other. I think they're two of the best to ever do it."

How do you boil 51 years of *Saturday Night Live* history down to a single sketch? Colin Jost managed, but it wasn't easy.

Jost has been with *SNL *a whopping 12 years, moving from writer to writing supervisor to co-head writer, before teaming up with Michael Che to anchor the comedic news program "Weekend Update."

He marshaled that experience as the inaugural guest on *SNL*'s new short-form series *The Rundown*, which prompted him to sift through 51 years of cold opens — a good many of which he helped write — to make his pick for the very best. He ultimately landed on an "iconic" sketch featuring two of his predecessors at "Weekend Update."

"If I'm making a rundown and I'm picking a cold open, the Katie Couric–Sarah Palin interview, I think, I would put in here," Jost declared.

He's talking about the now-classic spoof of the infamous interview between Couric, a veteran broadcast journalist and Palin, the Republican Vice Presidential hopeful in the 2008 presidential election. Amy Poehler stepped in for Couric, while her "Weekend Update" buddy Tina Fey struck generational comedy cold with her lacerating portrayal of Palin.

The no-frills sketch featuring a single, dexterously-crafted conversation between Couric and Palin opened the season 34's third episode in 2008, which was hosted by Anna Faris.

"It's nostalgic for me, because it was early on for me as a writer," Jost explained. "[Seth Meyers] wrote it. I'm sure Tina and Amy also helped on it. It was just a great combination of Seth and Tina and Amy together — you got to see them playing off each other. I think they're two of the best to ever do it. There were so many iconic things that came out of it. So to me, that's my pick, based on both nostalgia, and I think it holds up in the whole history of the show as one of the best."

Fey's run as Palin in various sketches throughout the long 2008 presidential campaign cemented her status as one of *SNL*'s all-time greatest. The season 34-opener "Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton Address the Nation," which cast Poehler as the former Secretary of State, ranked on two different * *lists of best-ever *SNL *sketches.

But Jost also looked beyond his perspective as a member of team *SNL* to pick runner-ups.

'SNL' alums Tina Fey, Seth Meyers join Amy Poehler for joke-off with 'Weekend Update' anchors

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"As a viewer, I remember also loving 'Not Going to Phone It in Tonight,' that Steve Martin song," Jost shared, pointing to the cold open from the season 17, episode 9 in 1991.

Then there's "Wolverines," the very first cold open from 1975's series premiere which features Michael O’Donoghue giving John Belushi an absurd English lesson.

"I always wished we could go back to that more," Jost explained. "I always wished we could have some cold opens that were just short and one idea and a funny performance."

*SNL *is in the midst of its 51st season, but is taking time off this weekend to focus on this Saturday's premiere of the series' new U.K. spinoff. Fey will host the first episode.

Original Article on Source

Source: “EW SNL”