Saturday Night Live alumna Cecily Strong returned to 30 Rock on Saturday to portray a boozed-up version of Fox News host Jeanine Pirro.
The SNL cold open came after President Donald Trump this week announced that he was appointing the 73-year-old former judge the next United States Attorney for the District of Columbia. Pirro will replace Trump’s interim appointment Ed Martin.
The NBC show mocked the new appointment, by bringing back a Merlot-sipping Strong to star as the judge.
‘I am so proud to be part of this group full of Russian assets, booze hounds and people famous for the little baby animals they’ve killed,’ she said, thanking the president – played by James Austin Johnson – for adding her to the administration.
Johnson’s Trump then shared his own praise of Pirro.
‘Oh we love Jeanine. She’s a great legal mind and she ahs the most important quality I look for in a lawyer: She’s on TV. She’s on The Five, which is a show kind of like The View,’ he jokes.
At that point, Cecily’s Pirro interjects that she’s ‘a Whoopi,’ which Johnson’s Trump agreed with – saying she was also ‘very tough.’
‘Yes, especially on immigration,’ the fake Pirro agreed. ‘I don’t have any reservations about sending things back.
SNL alum Cecily Strong returned to the sketch show Saturday night to portray Judge Jeanine Pirro, whom Trump recently appointed to serve as the US Attorney for DC
Later in the skit, they were joined by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, played by Weekend Update star Colin Jost, who shares his mistakes with his former Fox News colleague
‘My friends know I’ve sent back every salad I’ve ever ordered at a restaurant,’ she added – leading Trump to say he ‘wouldn’t know’ as he has ‘never’ eaten a salad.
Later in the skit, they were joined by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, played by Weekend Update star Colin Jost, whom she calls her ‘old drinking buddy.’
But soon, Jost’s Hegseth shares his mistakes with his former Fox News colleague, who repeatedly spits her wine into his face.
‘I accidentally added Kim Jong Un to the group chat,’ he joked, leading Strong’s Pirro to spray the wine into his mouth.
‘Oh yeah, that’s the stuff,’ Hegseth jokes, as Trump calls the pair the ‘AA team.’
Strong had left the weekly skit show in 2022, after becoming the longest-running woman in the cast.
More recently, she joined Keegan-Michael Key on the Apple TV+ show Schmigadoon, a parody of classic musical films.
But this week, she was also in the headlines for welcoming her first child with her fiancé Jack following a years-long fertility battle.
Trump confirmed that he was appointing The Five co-host to serve as Washington DC’s prosecutor on Thursday
The fan-favorite comedian, Strong went through IVF in order to have her bundle of joy, gave birth to a baby daughter on April 2, 2025.
She then shared the happy news with fans via Instagram on Thursday.
That same day, Trump confirmed that he was appointing Pirro to serve as Washington DC’s prosecutor.
‘She excelled in all ways. In addition to her Legal career, Jeanine previously hosted her own Fox News Show, Justice with Judge Jeanine, for ten years, and is currently Co-Host of The Five, one of the Highest Rated Shows on Television,’ the president wrote on his Truth Social page.
‘Jeanine is incredibly well qualified for this position, and is considered one of the Top District Attorneys in the History of the State of New York. She is in a class by herself. Congratulations Jeanine!’
Meanwhile, a Fox News Media spokesperson told DailyMail.com Pirro ‘has been a wonderful addition to The Five over the last three years and a longtime beloved host across Fox News Media who contributed greatly to our success throughout her 14-year tenure.
‘We wish her all the best in her new role in Washington.’
