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January 26, 2025

Lin-Manuel Miranda reprises 'Hamilton' role in Philly-set 'SNL' sketch about the Founding Fathers

Timothée Chalamet was the host and musical guest for the episode. He covered Bob Dylan songs, paying homage to his role in 'A Complete Unknown,' partly filmed in Cape May.

Entertainment SNL
lin-manuel miranda hamilton snl Saturday Night Live/Youtube

Lin-Manuel Miranda surprised 'SNL' viewers by reprising his role as Alexander Hamilton from the musical 'Hamilton' in the cold open of the latest episode.

Oscar-nominated actor Timothée Chalamet pulled double duty on "Saturday Night Live" this weekend as host and musical guest, but another celeb was not throwing away his shot to join the fun.

Lin-Manuel Miranda made a surprise cameo during the cold open of Saturday's episode, reprising his role as Alexander Hamilton from the "Hamilton" musical. In the cold open, Hamilton and the other Founding Fathers gather in Philadelphia to sign the Declaration of Independence, as they did nearly 250 years ago, when they're interrupted by President Donald Trump, played by "SNL" cast member James Austin Johnson.


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The cold open begins with the Founding Fathers discussing the potential implications of the document they're signing in Independence Hall. They ask Hamilton for his thoughts, and Miranda appears onstage in full "Hamilton" costume, to roaring cheers from the "SNL" audience. 

"I say our lives matter not if we lose them in the cause of liberty," Miranda says. "What matters is the nation we build."

He then launches into one of his signature raps:  

"‘Cause in America, all men are created equal / America, not England, we doing the sequel / And we will have leaders, but know one thing, in America, we will never have a king."

At that point Johnson steps into frame as Trump, and announces, "Never say never. Kidding, of course. Though in many ways, I'm not. I'm in my king era."

With the Founding Fathers frozen in the background, Johnson goes on to give a joke-filled speech listing some of the actions that Trump has taken since getting into office. He then turns his attention to Miranda.

"Look at Lin," Johnson says. "He got tricked into coming here, and now he's frozen on stage. Oh, he's furious."

He later walks toward Miranda and adds, "Look how bad he wants to do a rap. He wrote a whole rap and he doesn't get to do it. Oh, the audience would have eaten that right up, but we're not going to hear it. He's in sniffing distance of an EGOT and he's got to stand there 'til I'm done."

"Hamilton," which made its Broadway debut in 2015, was written by Miranda and is based on the biography of Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow. The musical follows the rise and fall of Hamilton, blending hip-hop, jazz and R&B music with fast-paced choreography.  The show has earned various awards — including 11 Tony Awards, a Grammy Award and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama — and a filmed 2016 performance was released as a Disney+ movie. "Hamilton" has also passed through Philadelphia multiple times on tour — including its most recent stop at the Academy of Music in October and November.

The "SNL" episode also included sketches about a low-energy bungee workout class, a barista training gone off the rails, uncanny AI software in the classroom, chaos in a dog park, and a health emergency at grandma's birthday party. During Saturday's episode, Chalamet also covered songs by Bob Dylan. Chalamet received an Oscar nomination this week for portraying the singer-songwriter in "A Complete Unknown," which was partly filmed in Cape May. 

Watch the "Founding Fathers" cold open below:


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