‘SNL’: John Mulaney Roasts RFK Jr. In Opening Monologue: “Your Thing Can’t Be Measles”

John Mulaney hosted "Saturday Night Live" for the seventh time on Nov. 14, with musical guest Phoebe Bridgers, and devoted several minutes of his opening monologue to roasting Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services. Mulaney began by joking about his young son's friends having scratchy voices, then transitioned into an impression of Kennedy, who has spasmodic dysphonia, a neurological speech disorder that causes involuntary spasms. "My father was a good man, and I'm a lousy man, but I have same name," Mulaney said in the impression. "Am I good if I have same name as father? No, please, let me be in charge of your bones and your tummy."

Mulaney continued by saying "no one likes that guy anymore," including former right-wing supporters. "It's so funny. What a predicament to be in. I had right-wing friends, they used to be down with him. No one likes him," he said. He also mocked Kennedy's work as an environmental lawyer, joking that "he would just join cases late if they were about to be successful."

Mulaney noted he has known Kennedy for over a decade through Riverkeeper, a non-profit that works to keep the Hudson River clean. He recalled receiving a voicemail from Kennedy after a benefit, saying, "I got butt-dialed by the mom from 'Goonies'!" This is not Mulaney's first time mocking Kennedy; he previously roasted him during a performance at the Hollywood Bowl in May as part of the Netflix Is a Joke festival.

Before the Kennedy bit, Mulaney opened his monologue with a joke about deciding his father has autism, which "cleared up everything" about his childhood. "He doesn't know he's autistic. He'll find out right as this airs," he said. He also joked that everything baby boomers say about Gen Z is actually true of them, adding, "Try to take an iPad away from your parents!"