The first season premiere after the September 11 attacks ( hosted by Reese Witherspoon ) opened with then-New York City mayor Rudolph Giuliani and firefighters , as well as a performance of " The Boxer " by Paul Simon . The mayor said that " Having our city ’s institutions up and running sends a message that New York City is open for business . " It signified that the New York-based series was deeply affected by the terrorist attack . Witherspoon later stated that she thought she " did an incredible job getting that show back on its feet and making America laugh again " . As a result , the political commentary was scaled back . As time passed , the show gave more attention to political humor , but earlier attempts were seen by critics as tame , evidence that the show had , over the decades , gone from counterculture to safe and mainstream . Robert Smigel 's cartoons , however , retained their bite and became heavily featured on the show
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
History of Saturday Night Live (2000–2005)