Saturday Night Live universes collided this Saturday night in London when James Austin Johnson made an appearance in the cold open of SNL UK. This marked the first time a cast member from one of the current SNL shows has appeared on the other program.
Johnson appeared as Donald Trump in a cold open that also featured George Fouracres as UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham, and Freddie Meredith as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The premise was a proposed “job swap” between Trump and one of the other heads of state.
JAJ got the honor to deliver the line “Live from London, it’s Saturday Night!” with Fouracres and Meredith.
In his sixth season on the cast of Saturday Night Live, Johnson has appeared in countless cold opens on the U.S. version of the show, primarily as Trump. Less than a week ago, JAJ appeared as Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in the cold open of Episode 3 of Season 52.
SNL UK is in its second series after a successful first series that ended last spring. The show is the first official effort by SNL to launch its live sketch and musical performance show outside of the United States. The original Saturday Night Live debuted in 1975, and has launched the careers of dozens of the most famous comedians, comic actors, producers, and film makers, including Dan Aykroyd, Eddie Murphy, Mike Myers, Adam Sandler, Tina Fey, and many more.
The public reaction to SNL UK has been tremendously positive. Many of the cast members have become superstars, including Fouracres, Ania Magliano, and Paddy Young. The sketch comedy, impressions, and unique “British” humor has been well received in that country, and gained a loyal fanbase from an American audience.
The question now becomes if and when an SNL UK cast member will appear on Saturday Night Live. The show returns on October 31 with host Inde Navarrette and musical guest Gracie Abrams. There already exists a strong connection between the two shows: Lorne Michaels is an executive producer of SNL UK, and former SNL cast member Fey was the first host of the British comedy last year.
