'SNL' takes on Pam Bondi's firing by President Trump in cold open

"Saturday Night Live" is bidding farewell to Attorney GeneralPam Bondi.

The showkicked off its April 4 episodewith a sketch tackling the news thatPresident Donald Trump fired Bondi. In an unusual move for "SNL," though, it didn't feature James Austin Johnson's impression of Trump, who has become a cold open staple.

Instead, it depicted an NCAA Final Four post-game show and centered on Charles Barkley, played by Kenan Thompson, going off script several times to offer potentially controversial commentary on various non-basketball topics, including Bondi's ouster.

"As attorney general,Pam Bondiwas, and I don't say this often, terrible," Thompson as Barkley said. "It is a shame when somebody gets fired, but we should all be glad that that freckle-chested dragon lady is gone."

'SNL' welcomes Jack Black:The returning host joined the five-timers club in cameo-filled sketch

Not long after, Bondi, played by Ashley Padilla, entered to offer a rebuttal.

"The truth is, I was amazing at my job, and I am proud to say I made history as the first woman ever to be fired as attorney general," she said. "I shattered that glass exit door!"

But Padilla's Bondi quickly broke down in tears, saying that she already misses her job and declaring, "They threw my headshot in the trash like it was the Epstein files!"

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'SNL UK':New show says Trump wants to 'start World War III,' mocks Prince Andrew

The sketch also brieflyreferenced a recent reportfrom the Daily Mail, which has not been independently verified by USA TODAY, that former Department of Homeland Security SecretaryKristi Noem's husband Bryon Noem practices cross-dressing. Thompson's Barkley said that Noem's husband "looks like he's starring in 'Big Momma's House 4.' "

Another one of Barkley's hot takes in the sketch was that theArtemis II space missionis a waste of money. "They ain't even going to the moon! They're just flying around the moon," he said. "What's the point of that? It's like telling your kids you're going to Disney World, and then you just take them to Goofy Lot D and go home."

Who will host 'SNL'?The show tapped this Emmy-winning star to make hosting debut in April

This week's "SNL" cold open was a break in tradition after several years of Easter episodes that began with a sketch where Johnson as Trump delivered an Easter message. The episode also came just a few weeks after a cold open wherePadilla played another fired memberof the Trump administration, starring as Noem in the first episode after her ouster.

Jack Black hosted"SNL" with musical guest Jack White. This was the first new episode since March 14; the show went on a brief hiatus following itsHarry Styles episode.

"SNL" will be back with another new episode next week, withColman Domingo making his hosting debutalongside musical guest Anitta. The season will wrap sometime in May.

Contributing: Kate Perez, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:'SNL' cold open tackles Pam Bondi firing, Kristi Noem husband

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April 04, 2026

'SNL' takes on Pam Bondi's firing by President Trump in cold open

"Saturday Night Live" is bidding farewell to Attorney GeneralPam Bondi. The showkicked off its April ...

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'SNL' welcomes Jack Black to five-timers club in cameo-filled sketch

Welcome to the club,Jack Black.

The "Super Mario Galaxy Movie" actor kicked off the April 4 episode of"Saturday Night Live"with a star-studded monologue welcoming him into the "five-timers club," the informal group of celebrities who have hosted "SNL" that many times.

Traditionally, a star's fifth "SNL" episode as host includes a sketch where other five-timers induct them into the club and give them their own jacket, and Black's show was no exception. During the monologue,Jonah Hillwasthe first five-timer to enter. "There's something wrong with the five-timers club," he warned before bringing Black to the club lounge, which had become run down and filled with cobwebs.

Inside, Tina Fey showed up and quipped that Black is "officially the first Black in the five-timers club." But she acknowledged the club lounge has "seen better days" and offered a meta critique on the premise of the cameo-filled five-timers club sketches, saying the idea had been "run into the ground."

"For example, and this is true, this is my fifth five-timers club sketch," Fey pointed out.

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'SNL' cold open:The show takes on Pam Bondi's firing by Trump

Candice Bergen entered next, followed soon after by Melissa McCarthy, who complained that there was no alcohol in the bar lounge other than "these warm cans of John Mulaney's beer."

Musical guest Jack White was the final cameo, and he joined Black in a musical performance to bring the sketch to a close.

'SNL' mocks Trump:Cold open sends up rising gas prices

Black previously hosted "SNL" for his fourth time in 2025, tied to the release of "A Minecraft Movie." Prior to that, though, he had not hosted the show since 2005. Black also previously hosted "SNL" in 2002 and 2003.

Before Black, the last star to enter the "SNL" five-timers club was Martin Short, who hosted his fifth episode in 2024. Other stars who hosted their fifth "SNL" in recent years include Kristen Wiig, Emma Stone, Woody Harrelson and John Mulaney.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:'SNL' – Every star who joined Jack Black five-timers club sketch

byNeo

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April 04, 2026

'SNL' welcomes Jack Black to five-timers club in cameo-filled sketch

Welcome to the club,Jack Black. The "Super Mario Galaxy Movie" actor kicked off the April 4 episode o...

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Shiloh Jolie Is the Spitting Image of Angelina Jolie in Her K-Pop Music Video Debut

"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links."

Shiloh Jolie is making a name for herself. The 19-year-old daughter ofAngelina Jolie and Brad Pittjust appeared in a teaser video for K-pop artist Dayoung's new music video, kick-starting a dance career that's been long in the making. And her appearance certainly had viewers doing a double take.

In the promotional clip, the young star was seen wearing a lacy brown top and performing in a dance sequence to "What's a Girl to Do." A close-up shot ofShilohshowed her looking more like her mother than ever before, with hoop earrings, slicked-back hair, and a smokey eye that took us straight back to the '90s. A bit of blood dripped down her glossy lips, giving a darker edge to the rosy blush on her cheeks.

According to Starship Entertainment, Shiloh auditioned for the music video during an open call. A representative told Korea'sMaeil Businessthat the team "had no idea" who the prospective dancer's parents were, and "only found out by chance quite recently," after filming wrapped.

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"We held an open audition in the United States of America to cast performers for Dayoung's music video," a representative shared with the news outlet. "Among those who took part were several performers affiliated with a dance crew called 'Culture.' Shiloh was selected in the final round and ended up joining."

Shiloh, who has kept a fairly private life despite growing up in the spotlight, has previously been spotted at Millennium Dance Complex in Los Angeles. Choreographers such as Hamilton Evans and Kolanie Marks have praised the dancer and her work ethic, and back in 2024,Lil Kelaan Carter shared a videoof the star with the caption "her movement is crazy."

"What's a Girl to Do" is out on April 7.

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Shiloh Jolie Is the Spitting Image of Angelina Jolie in Her K-Pop Music Video Debut

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English choirs seek to protect a musical tradition little changed since Queen Elizabeth I

LONDON (AP) — On a gray afternoon in the days before Easter, a dozen or so schoolchildren straggled into a side building at Rochester Cathedral and began their transformation.

Britain Choral Campaign

Off went the jackets and backpacks, on came burgundy cassocks and white surplices. Then they trooped into the cathedral, opened their mouths and sang as one. The youthful gaggle had become a choir, giving voice to a tradition of choral music in the Church of England that has survived largely unchanged for almost 500 years.

"I think for me, it's one of the sounds of our country,'' said Adrian Bawtree, the choir's music director. "All of our cathedrals are beautiful, sacred spaces where you can come and just sit and be and you can be immersed, bathed, nourished, sent out back into the world transformed by an experience in 30 minutes."

The epitome of that tradition is Choral Evensong, an evening service of hymns, psalms and prayers laid out by Archbishop Thomas Cranmer, the first Protestant archbishop of the Church of England, in 1549. The service is performed by the choir, with the congregation participating simply by listening.

But that tradition is under threat as the demands of modern life, declining church attendance and tight funding make it harder to find and train the next generation of choristers.

Enthusiasts are trying to reverse that, launching a campaign for the government to recognize English choral services as an important part of Britain's culture under a U.N. program that seeks to protect "intangible cultural heritage," as well as historic buildings and natural wonders.

Traditions strengthen identity

The U.K. government is seeking nominations for a nationwide inventory of cultural traditions — from Morris dancing to the craft of building dry stone walls — that should be preserved. Protecting such traditions is crucial to strengthen community identity and bolster the U.K. economy as heritage tourism generates billions of pounds in annual spending, the government says.

While many people have been introduced to English choral services through the angelic voices of the choristers in flowing robes and Elizabethan ruffs who sing at royal weddings and carol services, choirs perform every day in much more humble settings.

And many are struggling, according to the Cathedral Music Trust, which was founded in 1956 to stem the decline of church music after World War II. Last year it gave 500,000 pounds ($661,000) to 28 cathedrals and churches around the country.

It can be a lot. Rochester, for example, spends about 250,000 pounds ($330,000) a year on music, a substantial outlay for a provincial cathedral but less than some.

The trust hopes recognition of the English choral tradition will bring attention and much-needed funding to choirs, which it says are an important training ground for the musicians of tomorrow, both religious and secular.

"Whilst it happens every day, it is actually quite fragile," trust CEO Jonathan Mayes said. "It takes an awful lot of work and it takes a lot of funding to actually make it happen and that doesn't come without effort.''

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Evensong links the present day to the Protestant Reformation

Preserving Evensong is important historically because the service was instrumental in the development and spread of the modern English language, said Diarmaid MacCulloch, an expert on Christianity and an emeritus professor at the University of Oxford.

The service is based on the Book of Common Prayer, compiled by Cranmer to make English the language of the Church of England after it broke away from the Latin-dominated Catholic Church during the Protestant Reformation.

The idea was to create services everyone could be part of.

"It is very much a drama, and it is a drama which has been performed by the people of England from 1549 through to the present day," MacCulloch said. "It's far more a vehicle of public consciousness performance than any play of Shakespeare.''

And while a growing number of choirs including Rochester now take girls as well as boys, in other respects it hasn't changed much since then.

"The service would be really quite recognizable to Queen Elizabeth I as much as Queen Elizabeth II," MacCulloch said. "And that's quite remarkable."

The power of music to transform lives

Bawtree, the music director at Rochester Cathedral, is one of those working to preserve the tradition as he oversees the youngest singers, aged 9-13, known as choristers, as well as a youth choir for older children. All are backed by professional adult singers.

Bawtree said he was captured by church music the first time he heard an organ play and a choir sing when he was about 9 years old. Now he wants people to know that services like Evensong make it possible for anyone to turn up and listen to beautiful choral music, regardless of their beliefs.

"When I heard it, it was like big octopus arms came and grabbed me and said, 'You've got to be part of this.' So I think I am trying to speak to that 9-year-old child and saying actually this is something that could speak to most people, if not everyone.

"And because I had that experience, I would like to share that with future generations and be passionate about that," he said. "We talk in the world of mindfulness and the power of music to transform lives. This is an extraordinary arena where that can happen."

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

byNeo

in

April 04, 2026

English choirs seek to protect a musical tradition little changed since Queen Elizabeth I

LONDON (AP) — On a gray afternoon in the days before Easter, a dozen or so schoolchildren straggled into a side building ...

Read More