Scarlett Johansson Makes Surprise 'SNL' Appearance to Sing With Alec Baldwin

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Saturday Night Live/YouTube

Days after Donald Trump clinched the presidency, Kate McKinnon opened Saturday Night Live with a somber, unforgettable cover of the late Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah." "I'm not giving up," she said, dressed as Hillary Clinton. "And neither should you."

This weekend -- months after that election, more than 100 days through Trump's reign, amid an especially turbulent week of White House fuckery -- NBC's sketch show began its 42nd season finale with a fitting bit of symmetry: Trump (Alec Baldwin), Kellyanne Conway (McKinnon), Mike Pence (Beck Bennett), Eric Trump (Alex Moffat), Donald Trump Jr. (Mikey Day), Sarah Huckabee Sanders (Aidy Bryant), Melania Trump (Cecily Strong), Ivanka Trump (special guest Scarlett Johansson!), and Steve Bannon (Skeletor) gathered for their own "Hallelujah," one that managed to be both lighter and scarier.

"I'm not giving up," Baldwin's Trump quipped afterward, "because I didn't do anything wrong." It was another instant highlight from SNL's most-watched run in decades -- a heavily political one that has made cast members like Colin Jost occasionally feel like war profiteers for benefiting "from a situation that's so tough." 

Thankfully, the next election cycle will be more enjoyable.

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Sean Fitz-Gerald is a staff writer at Thrillist Entertainment. Find him on Twitter: @srkfitzgerald.