It’s no surprise that Saturday Night Live has traded in comedy for cheap shots, but this time they may have truly lost the plot. The latest episode stirred up outrage after a sketch implied that Vice President JD Vance — yes, that JD Vance — might’ve had something to do with the death of Pope Francis.
Yep. They actually went there.
The show started off innocent enough, opening with a sweet, Mother’s Day-themed musical number. But in typical SNL fashion, it didn’t take long to spiral into hot-mess territory. Cast member James Austin Johnson came out in his usual Trump impersonation and kicked off the chaos with: “It’s me again, invading all aspects of your life.”
From there, things got weirder. Johnson’s Trump character launched into a monologue about the Catholic Church’s recent election of Pope Leo XIV — the first American-born pope from Chicago. Sounds like a setup for something nice, right? Wrong.
The sketch took a hard left turn when the Trump parody tossed out this zinger, insinuating JD Vance might’ve had a hand in the pope’s death: “Otherwise, I’ll have to send JD back to do his thing. Remember last time JD met the pope?” The joke referenced Vance’s real-life Easter Sunday meeting with Pope Francis — just one day before the Holy Father passed away.
Oh, but SNL wasn’t done dragging Vance. The Trump character kept going: “He’s got the Meidas touch, but for bad things. He meets the pope? Dead. Goes to India? War! Joins my campaign? Trump wins!”
WATCH:
The President with some Pope talk.#SNL #SaturdayNightLive #Foxtel pic.twitter.com/0CW6KuVWTX
— Foxtel (@Foxtel) May 12, 2025
So now prayerful visits and political support are punchlines? Only in Hollywood.
Not only did the sketch fall flat, but it also sparked another round of bizarre conspiracy theories online. John F. Kennedy’s grandson even chimed in, writing on X: “Okay JD killed the pope.” Because nothing says political wisdom like a Kennedy tweeting half-baked satire as if it’s gospel truth.
To his credit, JD Vance has handled the situation with grace. He hasn’t addressed the joke directly (because he’s got more important things to do), but in an interview with Fox News Digital, he reflected on his Easter meeting with Pope Francis: “I was one of, if not the very last world leader to actually meet with the pope,” he said. He added that one of his Catholic staffers was brought to tears by the holy encounter.
And after Pope Francis passed, Vance posted this touching tribute: “I was happy to see him yesterday, though he was obviously very ill. But I’ll always remember him for the below homily he gave in the very early days of COVID. It was really quite beautiful. May God rest his soul.”
I just learned of the passing of Pope Francis. My heart goes out to the millions of Christians all over the world who loved him.
I was happy to see him yesterday, though he was obviously very ill. But I’ll always remember him for the below homily he gave in the very early days…
— JD Vance (@JDVance) April 21, 2025
Now that’s how you honor a spiritual leader — with reverence, not ridicule.
Of course, Catholics and viewers with even an ounce of decency have called out SNL for crossing a line. Making jokes about someone’s death — especially the Pope’s — is beyond tone-deaf. It’s disgraceful.
But when your ratings are in the basement and your writers are out of fresh ideas, apparently no target is too sacred.