Novak Djokovic, Laura Ingraham & Donald Trump Go Wordle In SNL Cold Open –

As with almost every role she plays on Saturday Night Live, Kate McKinnon does a wicked version of Fox News’ Laura Ingraham.

Listing off rising inflation, rocking gas prices, and the flaws of the Green M&M girl, McKinnon’s wonky-eyed Ingraham went right after the first year of Joe Biden’s “disaster” of a presidency in the cold open of SNL tonight.

The skit then took aim at “former Wendy’s spokesgirl” and Jen Psaki with an obvious heavily edited and jumpy clip that saw the White House press secretary saying “we are not good people; the American people should vote us out.”

McKinnon mocked the faked clip of Psaki as the “most true things she ever said.”

After lamenting the recent death of “America’s Dad” and millionaire murderer Robert Durst, SNL MVP McKinnon went full Ingraham with a literal “list of things liberals are trying to take from you” that very nearly could have come off FNC’s primetime with its inclusion of guns, country singer (and ex-SNL guest) Morgan Wallen and “missionary.”

Unfortunately, the return of Aidy Bryant’s Ted Cruz impersonation threw the whole thing off the tracks for a bit – even with that great line that the Texas Senator’s laughable beard is like the January 6, 2021 coup attempt: “shocking at first, but sadly it’s been normalized.” Bryant is incredibly talented, but her rendition of Cruz’s pathetic kneeling to the whims of Donald Trump and FNC’s overlord just doesn’t land a punch.

Better was Pete Davidson as Novak Djokovic and James Austin Johnson’s return as Donald Trump.

Termed “Unvaccinated Tennis Player” by the mock lower third, Davidson sold the scandal of the champion who was finally booted out of Australia this week after showing up Down Under for lacking the correct immunizations and for lying about his Covid status and movement on immigration forms.

“I am now the least popular Joker, except for Jared Leto,” Davidson’s Djokovic quipped in reference to Batman’s foe and the Oscar winner’s lame stint in the role in 2016’s Suicide Squad. “I found him relatable,” McKinnon’s Ingraham exclaimed, admitting to her guest that she’s a fan because “in tennis, love is bad”

“In my heart, I know that one day, people will look back on this moment in history and say ‘who cares!’” the skit’s Djokovic declared, in what is probably a very true insight.

Next up in the fast-paced opener was Ego Nwodim as Ingraham’s “one Black friend” Candace Owens to state that MLK barely said anything about anything, and that the iconic civil rights leader “would have voted for Trump.”

Cruz and Owens are targets as least as easy as hitting the side of a barn and came off so in tonight’s SNL.

However, Johnson’s Trump playing Wordle in a rant about vaccines that some how incorporated John Mayer, Hillary Clinton, newly launched sitcom spinoff How I Met Your Father and Jason Momoa was near priceless. Add Johnson’s uncanny capturing of the former Celebrity Apprentice host’s voice and cadence plus a shout out to Prada and Trump’s own name and you have a clip that is sure to keep on giving online this weekend – as you…