Saturday Night Live cast members Ashley Padilla and Andrew Dismukes joined the NBC show’s Weekend Update segment recently to play the role of “Two People Who Just Hooked Up.” According to Padilla and Dismukes’s characters, Republicans and Democrats need to do the same to end the government shutdown. While a sex-themed bit about ending the government shutdown would have just been odd, SNL felt the need to go even further and make Republicans the woman in the scenario, which led to multiple double entendres about GOP women’s sex lives and philosophical views about the size of government.
Weekend Update co-anchor Colin Jost played the role of the straight man, “So what do you think the parties need to do to, like, open the government back up?”
Padilla claimed, “Look, Colin. It's all about communication. They just need to get in the room together and say hi.”
After mutual awkward “hi” exchanges between Padilla and Dismukes, Jost wondered, “Okay. And then what?”
Padilla followed up with, “And then maybe Republicans are like, ‘Are we doing this?’” while Dismukes concurred, “Yeah, then Democrats are like, ‘I've wanted to for so long.’”
At this point things took a turn. Padilla struggled to remain in character as she cracked herself up trying to explain, “Yeah. But maybe the Republicans are scared because their government hasn't been opened in a long time. God. Not since Jason, actually.”
There are three ways to interpret that, and none of them are good. The first is that Republican women are sexually repressed or unfulfilled. The second seems to suggest Republicans are to blame for not reopening the government, when it is Democrats who constantly vote to keep it closed and liberal commentators who praise them for doing so. Third, it also hints that conservative women cannot be sexually satisfied by the sexual ethics they claim to believe in, as Jost wondered, “Who is, who's Jason? Is he, like, a congressman?”
Padilla simply retorted, “He's not a man.”
Jost sought to move on, “Okay. I think Democrats are pretty upset that Trump has decided to build his whole ballroom during the shutdown. What do you make of that?”
Padilla agreed, “Yes. Well, typically during a shutdown, you wouldn't see a president continuing with a project this size.”
Dismukes likewise stated that, “Yeah, and who knows. Republicans might even say, ‘Smaller sounds great. I prefer it.’”
Using government size as a euphemism for penis size, Padilla quipped, “Yeah, and who knows. Republicans might even say ‘smaller sounds great. I prefer it.’”
If SNL wanted to have some cheeky fun by working in hookup jokes while discussing the government shutdown, they could have done so without equating expanded Obamacare subsidies to a well-endowed man, but it is in line with the beginning of season 51, which seems determined to be extra mean-spirited.
Here is a transcript for the November 1-2 show:
NBC Saturday Night Live
11/2/2025
12:32 AM ET
COLIN JOST: So what do you think the parties need to do to, like, open the government back up?
ASHLEY PADILLA: Look, Colin. It's all about communication. They just need to get in the room together and say hi.
ANDREW DISMUKES: Hi.
PADILLA: Hi.
JOST: Okay. And then what?
PADILLA: And then maybe Republicans are like, “Are we doing this?”
DISMUKES: Yeah, then Democrats are like, “I've wanted to for so long.”
PADILLA: Yeah. But maybe the Republicans are scared because their government hasn't been opened in a long time. God. Not since Jason, actually.
JOST: Who is, who's Jason? Is he, like, a congressman?
PADILLA: He's not a man.
JOST: Okay. I think Democrats are pretty upset that Trump has decided to build his whole ballroom during the shutdown. What do you make of that?
PADILLA: Yes. Well, typically during a shutdown, you wouldn't see a president continuing with a project this size.
DISMUKES: Yes, Democrats just need to say, look, it's too big. Would you be willing to try something smaller?
PADILLA: Yeah, and who knows. Republicans might even say, “Smaller sounds great. I prefer it.”
JOST: You prefer it?
