Colin Jost says ‘SNL’ rejected “ridiculous” joke about Pete Hegseth reading ‘Pulp Fiction’ Bible verse weeks before it happened
The US Secretary of War made headlines after quoting a fake Bible passage from Quentin Tarantino’s crime classic
by Poppy Burton · NMESaturday Night Live‘s Colin Jost accidentally predicted the widely mocked moment Donald Trump’s defence secretary Pete Hegseth read a fake Bible verse during a Pentagon worship service.
During a recent appearance on The Tonight Show, Jost revealed that before Hegseth’s viral gaffe, he’d pitched the exact same scenario in the SNL writers room, saying: “Would it be funny if Hegseth just did that Bible verse that they have in ‘Pulp Fiction’ Remember, from Ezekiel, Samuel L. Jackson?”
However, the writers shot down Jost’s pitch, saying it was not only “too ridiculous,” but would take up too much time in the show’s cold open. “And then he for real did it, like two weeks later,” Jost said. “And I was like, ‘Well, the good news is, I’m being surveilled, so that’s a relief.’”
Back in April, the real Hegseth – who has been played on SNL by Jost throughout this season – was at a Pentagon prayer service when he introduced a prayer that he claimed was commonplace in military circles.
Referencing pilots with the call-sign ‘Sandy’, he said: “This prayer was recited by Sandy 1, to all Sandys, all those A‑10 crews, prior to all CSAR (Combat Search And Rescue) missions, but especially this CSAR mission that happened in real time,” he said, referring to combat search‑and‑rescue operations. “They call it CSAR 25:17, which I think is meant to reflect Ezekiel 25:17.”
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He then invited those watching to pray with him as he said (per Newsweek): “The path of the downed aviator is beset on all sides by the iniquities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men.
“Blessed is he who in the name of camaraderie and duty shepherd the lost through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother’s keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to capture and destroy my brother. And you will know my call sign is Sandy One, when I lay my vengeance upon thee. Amen.”
The passage closely follows that of Jules Winfield, played by Samuel L Jackson, in Quentin Tarantino’s crime classic. In the movie, Winfield is a hitman who, from dramatic effect, recites a Bible passage he cites at Ezekiel 25:17 before killing someone. As such, it has been described as a violent interpretation of scripture.
The speech, which is fictional, is as follows: “The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother’s keeper and the finder of lost children.
“And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know my name is the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon you.”
The actual verse Ezekiel 25:17 reads: “And I will execute great vengeance upon them with furious rebukes; and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall lay my vengeance upon them.”
In other SNL news, its UK version is now set for a second series, with the eighth and final episode of its well-received first run set to arrive tonight (May 16). There will be a 12-episode run starting in September, with Lorne Michaels continuing to serve as executive producer.
The season finale will feature host Ncuti Gatwa (Doctor Who), and music from Holly Humberstone. Despite initial mixed reviews, SNL UK has proved a success for the Sky, and it has made headlines by satirising several recent news headlines such as a speech by US First Lady Melania Trump and the Kanye West Wireless controversy.