The White House deprecated "Saturday Night Live" after its season 51 premiere opened with a parody of President Donald Trump.

White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson dismissed the episode in a statement to Entertainment Weekly. 

"Reacting to this would require me to waste my time watching it," Jackson said. "And like the millions of Americans who have tuned out from SNL, I have more entertaining things to do — like watch paint dry."

The show's cold open featured cast member James Austin Johnson as Trump, warning the "SNL" cast not to mock him or face retaliation. The segment referenced recent developments involving late-night TV, including the cancellation of "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert" and the suspension of "Jimmy Kimmel Live!"

In the skit, Johnson's Trump introduced his "attack dog," Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr, portrayed by Mikey Day. The parody played on political intimidation and censorship, ending with Johnson's Trump declaring, "Remember: Daddy's watching."

Hosted by Puerto Rican singer and future Super Bowl headliner Bad Bunny, the premiere also included Colin Jost impersonating Secretary of War Pete Hegseth in an opening bit. Johnson's Trump interrupted the sketch, describing late-night TV as "the greatest threat to freedom and democracy the world has ever known."

The "SNL" parody comes after months of tension between Trump and late-night hosts. In July, CBS announced that "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert" would end in 2026, days after Colbert criticized Paramount, CBS' parent company, for settling a lawsuit with Trump while awaiting FCC approval for a pending merger.

CBS stated the cancellation was a financial decision unrelated to the merger.

Trump celebrated the news on social media, writing, "I absolutely love that Colbert got fired. His talent was even less than his ratings. I hear Jimmy Kimmel is next. Has even less talent than Colbert!"

Weeks later, ABC suspended "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" for one week after Kimmel commented on the alleged assassin of conservative leader Charlie Kirk. Trump applauded the decision, calling it "Great News for America" and urged NBC to remove other hosts, labeling Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers "two total losers."

After Kimmel's reinstatement, he, Colbert, and Meyers posted a photo captioned "Hi Donald!" on Instagram. 

Trump then criticized ABC for bringing Kimmel back, saying, "I can't believe ABC Fake News gave Jimmy Kimmel his job back. … Why would they want someone back who does so poorly, who's not funny, and who puts the network in jeopardy by playing 99 percent positive Democrat GARBAGE?"