"Slow quack nite at daddy dufus house?" - Internet reacts to Lin Manuel Miranda's appearance on SNL as Alexander Hamilton

Lin Manuel Miranda appeared as Alexander Hamilton in the recent Saturday Night Live cold open on January 25th, 2025. Best known for creating and starring in the Broadway hit Hamilton, Miranda revisited his character for a bit of historical satire merged with current political humor.

The cold open took us back in time to the signing of the Declaration of Independence, paving the way for Miranda’s arrival as Alexander Hamilton.

Lin Manuel Miranda took center stage and sang about liberty and equality, but the segment soon took an unexpected turn when James Austin Johnson, as Donald Trump, interrupted Miranda’s Hamilton.

Johnson’s Trump insisted that he was forging a new America, one in line with the Founding Fathers’ dreams with a satirical twist. He said:

"Just like the founding fathers, I am creating a new country as well. And just like them, we’re doing it very whitely,"

Lin Manuel Miranda held his ground in the background while Johnson’s Trump delivered a monologue about how great his second term was going to be. Johnson’s Trump boasted about his “tremendous” indoor inauguration, his “beautiful executive orders,” and his efforts to replicate workplace dynamics similar to the sitcom The Office.

The segment was filled with sharp, relentless humor as Johnson made punchlines of everything from Elon Musk to the soaring price of eggs.

Lin Manuel Miranda’s surprise appearance was welcomed, but much of the reaction focused on the surrealism of the sketch. Addressing the segment one X user:

"Slow quack nite at daddy dufus house?"

Social media, in general, was abuzz with memes and comments, praising Miranda’s cameo as Hamilton while making light of Johnson’s uncanny impression of Trump.

"Would love to see another actor play Trump. His act gets annoying and repetitive" stated another X user.

"Please. NO MORE TRUMP" stressed another.

"Terrible trump impression. Get someone else." commented one user.

"Loved the cold open! Always great to see Lin as Hamilton" said an internet user.

"THE WAY I SCREAMED SEEING HIM" wrote a fan.

How Lin Manuel Miranda Built Hamilton

In 2009, inspired by Ron Chernow’s biography of Alexander Hamilton, Miranda started working on a rap mixtape, not thinking initially of a musical.

He got his big break when he sang the number “Alexander Hamilton” at a White House event. According to Forbes, the audacious speech earned him a standing ovation and inspired him to develop his idea further.

Through public readings and performances, Miranda refined Hamilton further, using audiences as focus groups to test what worked and what didn’t. This back-and-forth helped transform an idea into a revolutionary musical.

An article by Forbes highlights how Lin Manuel Miranda’s way of developing his musical was like an entrepreneurial theory. It said that the best creators test ideas early, gather feedback, and pivot when necessary.