In a return to form, Saturday Night Live‘s “Weekend Update” featured Bowen Yang as another aggrieved inanimate object standing up for themselves (hat tip to previous performances as the Titanic iceberg and viral pygmy hippo Moo Deng).

During this week’s final episode of the year, with host Martin Short and musical guest Hozier, Yang portrayed a besieged and mysterious drone flying over New Jersey. Introduced by co-host Michael Che, Yang began without missing a beat, “Hey, wow, indoors — this is different.”

When asked by Che “what” he was exactly, Yang answered: “OK, no, we’re not gonna do that. See, I know what I am, and I don’t have to explain myself to anyone at any time for any reason.”

He continued, justifying his actions flying high in the sky for no discernible reason: “All y’all hate me ’cause I’m up. Everybody’s like, ‘Is it a UFO, is it military, is it promo for SNL 50?’ Meanwhile, I’m just minding my business, hovering over people’s homes, maybe filming them. Also, what is so threatening about random machines in the night sky? God, it’s like y’all have never been to Afghanistan before.”

As Che relayed that the government has said the drones are probably “manned,” Yang quipped: “What’s this obsession with whether I’m ‘manned’ or not? For the record, I can get a man whenever I want. Trust me, there’s no problem there.”

He conceded, however, that he does have a boo: “I’m dating the helicopter from Succession, if you must know.”

In a rousing end, Yang as the drone broke out into song, mirroring the lyrics to Elphaba’s “Defying Gravity,” belting out that nobody is “ever gonna bring me down.” (Yang was a prominent cast member in this year’s blockbuster Wicked: Part One, opposite Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, who portrayed Elphaba.)

“For what be a drone but a mirror to society — and potentially a killing machine?” he posited.

Outside of Yang’s appearance, co-hosts Colin Jost and Che rattled through a few timely jokes, including about alleged UnitedHealthcare shooter Luigi Mangione‘s recent arrival to New York City, which drew loud cheers from the audience. Jost joked that the cheers were for “justice” and that, relatedly, “Bumble exploded” upon his return to the city.

Also, Che and Jost participated in their tradition of joke-swapping, during which Jost was forced to talk in a “Black voice” and poke fun at wife and actress Scarlett Johansson. Meanwhile, Che was forced to joke about being present at Sean Combs’ parties and comment on the rape allegations facing Jay-Z.

See “Weekend Update” below:

Coast guardsmen from Barnegat Light, New Jersey, are voicing frustration after federal officials dismissed their accounts of being followed by a fleet of drones while patrolling the Atlantic Ocean earlier this month.
A Coast guard member, speaking anonymously, shared his disbelief, stating, “It’s the implication that’s insulting.”
“It’s implying we’re making things up, when the ones making up things are down in Washington, DC.”
The sailor’s comments came shortly after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) imposed temporary flight restrictions over parts of New Jersey and New York. He was among 12 crew members aboard the 47-foot rescue vessel that encountered the drones on the evening of the sighting.
“We were actually out there to see if we could spot any drones, because of all these sightings,” the sailor explained. “Well, we found some drones. Or more accurately, they found us.”
According to the sailor, the drones appeared suddenly around 9 pm and followed the vessel for about 15 minutes. The drone swarm mirrored the boat’s movements, shifting direction as the boat did. “They had four propellers, about seven feet across, with festive red, green, and white flashing lights,” he said. The drones flew at an estimated 80 to 100 feet above the vessel.
The swarm kept pace with the Department of Homeland Security boat, which was travelling at around 20 knots (just over 20 miles per hour). The drones eventually ascended, climbing an additional 100 feet before veering left towards the shoreline and disappearing from sight.
The sailor is adamant that these were no ordinary commercial drones. “Commercial airplanes don’t move like that. We know what drones look and sound like,” he said.
However, White House spokesman John Kirby downplayed the Coast Guard’s account, suggesting the drones could have been a mix of commercial, hobbyist, and law enforcement drones, as well as aircraft and even stars mistakenly identified as drones. Kirby stated that the sightings presented no national security or public safety threat, and suggested that the Coast Guard might have confused incoming airliners with drones.
The Coast Guardsman disagreed, saying, “I can’t pretend to know what’s going on, but those weren’t the types of drones you can buy at the store. These were government drones.”
The sailor added, “I don’t care what Kirby or [DHS head Alejandro] Mayorkas say — they’re full of sh-t.” He stressed that while their orders were to observe and not engage with the drones, they would have taken defensive action if the drones had acted aggressively.
Local officials, including Representatives Chris Smith and Jeff Van Drew, have criticised the federal response, demanding a clear explanation for the mysterious drone activity, the New York Post quoted.
Since November 18, more than 1,000 drone sightings have been reported over New Jersey, with dozens more in New York’s airspace, raising growing concerns over the presence of drones in civilian airspace. Federal authorities, however, maintain that the sightings pose no security threat.

Winter — and the weekend before Christmas — kicked off in New Jersey with residents across a wide swath of the region waking up Saturday morning to find snow on the ground.

And frigid temperatures are next.

An overnight storm coated the region from North Jersey to the Philadelphia metro area with anywhere from an inch to 5 1/2 inches of snow as the first day of the winter season arrived — and as people continue traveling for the holidays. There was snow in 13 counties in the Garden State.

Lingering flurries are possible across the eastern part of the state, though light snow is expected to taper off everywhere in the morning, according to the National Weather Service.

Meanwhile, an arctic air mass is forecast to bring “brisk and cold conditions” across the region the rest of the weekend, the weather service said.

High temperatures are expected to range from the 20s north of Interstate 78 to the low 30s south of the highway, while lows will fall into the teens, according to forecasters. There will also be blustery conditions in the afternoon, with wind gusts between 15 and 35 miles per hour.

Temperatures in New Jersey in late December normally reach the low 40s during the day and around 30 degrees overnight.

The snow and cold could cause slippery road conditions, though it’s more likely snow accumulated on grass, according to AccuWeather. The cold temperatures also mean the snow could stick around as Christmas and Hanukkah begin arrive this week.

Looking ahead, next week is also expected to be cold, with highs stuck in the 30s, according to forecasts. There is also a chance for light snow Tuesday morning — Christmas Eve — especially in North Jersey. Christmas is expected to be sunny and seasonable Wednesday.

Although it’s not an official weather term, the National Weather Service defines a white Christmas as having just 1 inch or more of snow on the ground on the morning of Dec. 25 — either fresh snow or lingering snow from a previous storm.

Current weather radar

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NJ Advance Media staff writer Len Melisurgo contributed to this report.

Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on X at @johnsb01.