Tom Hanks Brings Back David S. Pumpkins for SNL's Halloween Episode
Tom Hanks returned to Saturday Night Live on Halloween night to revive David S. Pumpkins, the cheerful, spooky character he first played on the show in 2016. The character appeared in the cold open, the opening sketch that runs before the show's title card.
The sketch did not stay with the ghoul for long. Variety reported that James Austin Johnson, playing President Trump, barged in and interrupted the bit. Johnson's Trump then lamented that Republicans were poised for a loss in the November 3 midterm elections, which are the national votes held halfway through a US president's term.
Saidah Belo-Osagie played Nicki Minaj in a spoof of the rapper's support for Trump and the MAGA movement. In the sketch, Minaj was presented as Trump's next pick for press secretary, the official who briefs reporters, after Katie Zacharia left the job. Zacharia then appeared at the end of the cold open and stumbled over the show's famous opening line, "Live from New York, it's Saturday night."
The rest of the cast came in around the edges. Kenan Thompson wore a Grim Reaper costume and guided a young couple through a string of frightening scenes. Mikey Day performed a dance routine alongside Hanks. Former cast member Bobby Moynihan made a cameo, and he and Day wore full-body skeleton jumpers with white face paint.
The sketch also opened with Grace Reiter and Jeremy Culhane as a young couple on a low-budget amusement park ride, a setup that led into the Pumpkins material.
The episode was hosted by Inde Navarrette, with Gracie Abrams as musical guest. Hanks is already a member of the show's Five-Timers Club, the informal group for performers who have hosted five times. Hosting is a separate role from the sketch appearances, so this Halloween segment was a cameo.
Pumpkins has a long history on the show. The character's signature song draws on a Madonna remix called "Holiday Rap," and the act has been popular enough to become a haunt at Halloween Horror Nights, the seasonal scare event at Universal Studios Hollywood.
SNL's official YouTube channel has posted the sketch, under the title "Scary Halloween Cold Open (ft. David S. Pumpkins) - SNL." Anyone who missed the broadcast can watch it there.
For viewers, the appeal of the segment is simple. It is a short, familiar joke that brings back a character many people remember, and it lands alongside a political sketch timed to a real election week.
