SNL's Reaction To Kristi Noem's Firing Zeroes In On Her Plastic Surgery With One Killer Line

Following more than a year of questionable leadership and personal behavior, Kristi Noem was officially kicked to the curb by President Donald Trump on March 5, 2026. The departing Secretary of Homeland Security apparently incurred the president's wrath by testifying before Congress that he had okayed her controversial ad campaign; even he couldn't defend spending $220 million for ads of Noem playing cowgirl while telling undocumented immigrants to head for the border. Ever ready to skewer current events, "Saturday Night Live" went right for the jugular two days later with a sketch that tackled the firing, as well as Noem's rumored plastic surgery.

The cold open featured Colin Jost as Secretary of Defense (or "War") Pete Hegseth — a role he was born to play. He eventually introduced Noem (as played by the excellent Ashley Padilla) for a farewell speech, explaining she had been "reassigned under the bus" (per NBC's Instagram). Padilla, sporting ridiculously long hair extensions along with heavy Noem-like makeup, quickly explained that she had "self-deported" as opposed to being fired. "And though I may be leaving this job, I will not be ending my mission," she added. "As I told my plastic surgeon, the work is never done."

SNL's Kristi Noem: "I have no regrets. Because like they say, you miss 100% of the dogs you don't shoot." pic.twitter.com/BtJxYq0ejD

— LateNighter (@latenightercom) March 8, 2026

"SNL" seldom pulls punches, and they made no exception here. The sketch included a reference to Noem's infamous admission that she killed a disobedient dog, along with nods to the extravagant DHS ad and Noem's rumored affair with Corey Lewandowski. Adopting Noem's Dakotan accent, Padilla acknowledged the "bittersweet" transition to a new position, but added, "The time has come for me to turn in my badge, gun, lips, lashes, teeth and forehead."

Kristi Noem probably didn't tune in to see herself parodied on "SNL" following her ouster. She might have been busy getting new business cards listing her upcoming job as Special Envoy for the Shield of the Americas. Or maybe she shares Donald Trump's opinion (per X, formerly Twitter) that "tired Saturday Night Live" is unfunny and focused on "total Republican hit jobs" that should get the network in legal trouble. Then again, maybe Noem's reassignment — far from the public spotlight — means she may join the ranks of MAGA women who are giving up on the "Mar-a-Lago Face" trend, a group including Pam Bondi and Lauren Boebert.

Mocked as "ICE Barbie," Noem was known for her heavy makeup and likely use of fillers, to the extent that her face became a laughingstock on "South Park" in 2025. An episode of the animated series featured Noem with exaggerated cosmetic features that began to melt off her skull as she frantically called for a team of beauticians to put her back together again. Though other members of Trump's administration are suspected of having had work done — Vanity Fair notoriously outed signs of lip filler injections on White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt — Noem has arguably been the most consistently ridiculed for her less-than-natural beauty. It's a bit more understandable when you see what she used to look like.

Maxim Elramsisy/Shutterstock & undefined & Brooks Kraft/Getty

Political experts suggest that conservative women like Noem turn to plastic surgery to project a specific image. Their artificial, pricey prettiness says: "I'm strong and confident, but not so powerful that I might be a threat to the men around me." Assuming she doesn't create ads for the Shield of the Americas, now that Noem is headed for a less visible position, she might decide to let up on the Botox, pouty lips, and false lashes.