Dakota Johnson returned to Studio 8H this weekend to host Saturday Night Live for the third time, leading an episode that mixed political satire with a notable moment for cast member Ashley Padilla.
Johnson hosted the Oct. 3 edition of SNL, continuing a relationship with the long-running NBC sketch series that stretches back more than a decade. Her latest appearance came as the show moved into its 52nd season and once again found plenty of material in Washington.
The episode also put Padilla in the spotlight following her promotion to the show’s permanent repertory cast.
Padilla, who joined SNL as a featured player in 2024, has steadily built a larger presence on the program. Her new status was reflected right from the cold open, where she and Andrew Dismukes played Republican strategists attempting to create campaign advertisements ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
Their fictional campaign shoot quickly became an increasingly chaotic parade of Republican personalities, giving Padilla a central role in holding the sketch together as one political impersonation followed another.
Marcello Hernández appeared as Secretary of State Marco Rubio, whose effort to appeal to Spanish-speaking voters went wildly off course. Rather than delivering the clean campaign message the strategists wanted, the character turned his appearance into criticism of President Donald Trump and his foreign policy.
Jeremy Culhane’s Vice President JD Vance also stepped in front of the cameras, only for his contribution to be quickly dismissed. Mikey Day followed as Sen. Mitch McConnell, adding another awkward moment to a campaign operation rapidly running out of options.
Colin Jost then appeared as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, leaning into an exaggerated version of Hegseth’s tough-guy image. His character attempted to rally conservative voters while the sketch poked fun at his public rhetoric surrounding the military.
Eventually, James Austin Johnson’s Trump arrived to take control.
His version of the president floated the idea of giving Americans $5,000 if Republicans won control of Congress, before immediately undermining the proposal by suggesting he had no intention of actually paying.
The sketch closed with an even sharper joke about elections. Trump’s character recorded a victory message for use if Republicans prevailed, then delivered essentially the same declaration when asked to prepare a statement in case they lost.
While Washington provided the material for the cold open, the episode also marked another milestone for Johnson and Padilla.
For Johnson, it was a return to a familiar stage as a three-time SNL host. For Padilla, appearing prominently in the night’s opening sketch offered an early showcase of her growing role on one of television’s most established comedy institutions.
Turnstile rounded out the episode as musical guest, making its first appearance on the show.
