> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.theomnicosm.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Forget Trump. These Ashley Padilla ‘SNL’ political characters are the ones you need to know. - URL: https://www.theomnicosm.com/the-cold-open-snl-ashley-padilla-leavitt-harp-noem-bondi/ - Published: 2026-09-30T03:17:08.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-30T03:20:30.000Z - Description: Thanks to her portrayals of Karoline Leavitt, Natalie Harp, Kristi Noem and Pam Bondi, there’s hope for future political cold opens. - Author: Bill Kuchman - Tags: The Cold Open • Extras, The Cold Open, SNL, #PROD, Ashley Padilla When it comes to a political cold open, *SNL* has lost its way. We’re a long way from the era of **Will Ferrell**’s take on **George W. Bush** pulling off the trick of being both funny and a character you want to see at the beginning of each episode. Whether it was **Alec Baldwin** screaming his way through the first **Donald Trump** presidency, **James Austin Johnson** putting a inappropriately fun spin on the horrors of the second Trump presidency or all the celebrity cameos that have hijacked the show over the past decade, a political cold open is now more likely to earn groans than laughs from viewers. But there’s been one bright spot among *SNL*’s political work since Trump took office again: **Ashley Padilla**. (Did **Colin Jost**’s version of **Pete Hegseth** wear out its welcome? We didn’t see the *Weekend Update* co-anchor as the secretary of defense yet in [the first episode of Season 52](https://www.theomnicosm.com/the-cold-open-sn-jalen-brunson/).) [The *SNL* breakout star](https://www.theomnicosm.com/the-cold-open-snl-ashley-padilla-top-sketches/) has worked her way through Trump’s cabinet, playing **Karoline Leavitt**, **Kristi Noem**, **Pam Bondi** and now **Natalie Harp**. The only thing keeping Padilla from having to juggle all of these political portrayals at once is that Leavitt stepped down from her position as press secretary and Noem and Bondi got booted from the administration. It’s been a week since Padilla played Harp, and she’s still employed ... ## Sign up for The Cold Open Love reading about **Saturday Night Live*? Get ****The Open** newsletter in your inbox. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. ### Karoline Leavitt *SNL* should have embraced Padilla as Leavitt when it had the chance. The show doubled and tripled and octupled down on **Melissa McCarthy** playing **Sean Spicer** during the first Trump presidency. And McCarthy wasn’t even a cast member! The show could’ve easily had its political cold opens flow through Padilla’s Leavitt to give us a break from Johnson’s Trump. ### Kristi Noem Padilla took over playing Noem partway through last season. The former secretary of homeland security was [played by **Tina Fey** during the Season 51 premiere](https://www.theomnicosm.com/amy-poehler-tina-fey-and-seth-meyers-challenge-colin-jost-and-michael-to-a-joke-off/). Of all Padilla’s political personas, her Noem was the hardest to clock. And, let’s be honest, she didn’t have much time to fully flesh that one out. ### Pam Bondi Over the course of last season, Padilla wound up taking on both Noem and Bondi. **Amy Poehler** played Bondi in the same season premiere cold open that saw Fey play Noem. “I watched you and Tina, ’cause you both did it,” Padilla told Poehler [during a recent episode of the *Good Hang* podcas](https://www.theomnicosm.com/the-cold-open-snl-ashley-padilla-amy-poehler/)t. “I had to go do both of them, and just more iconic women — cooler women — from the show did it, and then me.” ### Natalie Harp Going into Season 52, it felt like the universe was setting up Padilla to play Harp. Everyone was talking about the presidential assistant as summer wrapped up. Everything about her screamed classic *SNL* political portrayal. (Just imagine the ludicrously large duffle bag they could have her carrying!) But would **Lorne Michaels** bring in a ringer? Would this be **Veronika Slowikowska**’s big cold open moment? Would **Sarah** **Sherman** unleash her inner weirdo? Nope. It was Padilla. In a cold open full of dead-end ideas, Padilla as Harp was the shining bit of potential for future cold opens. Everything you need to know about Season 52 Check out the complete list of **SNL* Season 52 hosts, musical guests and reviews. [We talkin’ TV? ](https://www.theomnicosm.com/who-is-hosting-snl/) [![CTA Image](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f4/8b/f48be8ca-23c6-4d81-b0cf-da2fb0785911/content/images/2026/08/the-cold-open-wordmark-1.png)](#/portal/account/plans) ****The Cold Open is a publication of The Omnicosm.** Issue No. 87 ****The Cold Open** is written and produced by ****Bill Kuchman**. Copyediting by ****Tim Kuchman**. Get the full ****The Omnicosm** experience. Add ****Snackology** and ****Popculturology** to your subscription [****via your account settings**](https://www.theomnicosm.com/account/). [Go to your account ](#/portal/account/plans) ![The Omnicosm](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f4/8b/f48be8ca-23c6-4d81-b0cf-da2fb0785911/content/images/2026/08/the-omnicosm-wordmark-new-1.png)