Colin Jost Says SNL Rejected Pete Hegseth Joke Reading ‘Pulp Fiction’ Bible Verse
Donald Trump’s defense secretary Pete Hegseth made headlines in April for reading a fake Bible verse from Quentin Tarantino’s iconic film “Pulp Fiction” during a Pentagon worship service. The incident was widely mocked, but it turns out that “Saturday Night Live” writer Colin Jost had actually predicted it.
During a recent appearance on “The Tonight Show,” Jost revealed that he had suggested the idea of Hegseth reciting the famous Ezekiel 25:17 passage from “Pulp Fiction” in the SNL writers room. However, his pitch was dismissed as too ridiculous and time-consuming for the cold open. To Jost’s surprise, Hegseth went ahead and delivered the fake Bible verse just two weeks later, proving that truth can indeed be stranger than fiction.
Jost, who has been portraying Hegseth on SNL this season, joked about being under surveillance after his prediction came true. The real Hegseth had been attending a Pentagon prayer service when he recited the altered version of Ezekiel 25:17, claiming it was the prayer recited by the “Sandy 1” Combat Search and Rescue mission in Iran.
Calling on those in attendance to pray with him, Hegseth read a prayer that closely mirrored Samuel L. Jackson’s iconic speech from “Pulp Fiction,” including lines like “I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger.” The unexpected and humorous moment quickly went viral, solidifying Hegseth’s unintentional comedic performance.
To see Jost discuss the incident further, watch his full interview on “The Tonight Show” in the embedded video above. The bizarre mix-up serves as a reminder that reality can sometimes be just as entertaining as fiction, especially when it involves a high-ranking government official inadvertently quoting a movie.
