If you’ve spent any time on the internet lately, you’ve probably seen a guy in a powdered wig looking very serious while talking about a "stupid way to spell Jeff." That’s Nate Bargatze in the SNL Washington's Dream 2 sketch. It’s the sequel to the 2023 hit that basically broke the "SNL is unfunny" curse for a lot of people. Honestly, it’s rare for a sketch to get a sequel that actually hits as hard as the original, but this one did it by leaning into the absolute chaos of the American-English language.
The Return of the Deadpan General
Most of the time, sequels feel like a desperate grab for more views. Not this. When Nate Bargatze returned to host Saturday Night Live on October 5, 2024, everyone was waiting for it. The first one was about the metric system—well, our lack of it. This time? They went for the throat of American spelling, food names, and school grades.
The setup is the same. George Washington is on a boat. He’s crossing the Delaware. His men are freezing and terrified. But instead of military strategy, he’s giving them a blueprint for a nation where we name things just to be difficult. It’s that dry, Southern-inflected deadpan that makes Bargatze the perfect person for this. If it were a louder actor, the joke might feel forced. With him, it feels like a guy who genuinely spent all night thinking about why we don't call a chicken "poultry" once it’s cooked.
The "Jeff" Controversy and Other Linguistic Crimes
The highlight for a lot of people—myself included—was the spelling bit. Washington declares that in this new land, we will be free to spell things two different ways. He brings up "donut," which sure, fine. But then he brings up the name Jeff.
"The short way with the J," he says, "and the stupid way with the G."
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It’s such a specific, petty observation. That is exactly what makes the SNL Washington's Dream 2 writing so smart. It’s written by Streeter Seidell, Mikey Day, and Mike DiCenzo. They’ve managed to capture that vibe of American exceptionalism—except we’re being exceptional about things that make zero sense to the rest of the world.
Meat, Grades, and the Hot Dog Mystery
The logic in the sketch moves fast. You’ve got Bowen Yang, James Austin Johnson, and Mikey Day playing the bewildered soldiers who just want to know if they're going to die. Washington just wants to talk about animal names.
- Pigs become pork.
- Cows become beef.
- Chickens? They just stay chickens.
When James Austin Johnson asks what’s in a hot dog, the sketch hits its peak absurdity. Washington’s response—kicking him out of the boat because "a real American would never want to know what's in a hot dog"—is basically a national truth at this point.
Then there’s the school system. Why is the first year called kindergarten but the second year is first grade? Why do we have 12 grades—a "dozen"—but then Washington refuses to use the word "dozen" to describe the grade count? It’s these circular, nonsensical arguments that keep the energy high.
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Why This Sketch Actually Works for SEO and Fans
People aren't just watching this for the laughs; they’re searching for it because it taps into a shared frustration with our own rules. We use Fahrenheit, a scale Washington describes as "super random." We use feet and inches on one side of the ruler and centimeters on the other, but they never line up. Why? "Liberty, son. Liberty."
The "Men of Color" Runner
One of the best recurring bits in both sketches is Kenan Thompson asking about the fate of "men of color such as I." It’s a sharp, uncomfortable, and hilarious way to acknowledge the reality of the 1700s while the "General" is busy obsessing over why "glamour" keeps its 'u' while "color" loses it.
Washington’s dismissive pat on the shoulder is a masterclass in comedic timing. He promises the slaves will be freed "after a war," but when asked if it's this war (the Revolution), he just moves on to talking about buying mattresses on Presidents Day. It’s dark, but it works because it points out the hypocrisy of the era without breaking the "weird dad" energy of the character.
How to Watch and What’s Next
If you haven't seen the full bit yet, it's all over YouTube and Peacock. Interestingly, the team even did a "third" version of this vibe at the 2025 Emmys, where Bargatze played Philo T. Farnsworth, the inventor of television, using the same "visionary-who-is-actually-just-confusing" trope.
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If you're a fan of this style, you should definitely check out:
- The original "Washington's Dream" from Season 49 (October 2023).
- Nate Bargatze's stand-up specials on Netflix, like The Greatest Average American.
- The 2025 Emmy opening, which features the same cast (Day, Yang, Johnson) but about the TV industry.
The best way to enjoy these is back-to-back. You start to see the patterns in how they deconstruct American culture. It’s not just "America is weird." It’s "America is weird in a very specific, bureaucratic way that we’ve all just agreed to stop questioning."
To get the most out of the SNL Washington's Dream 2 experience, go back and look at your own ruler or a box of donuts. You'll never look at a "Geoff" the same way again. Seriously, the "stupid way with a G" is going to live in my head forever.
Next Steps:
Go watch the official SNL YouTube channel's upload of the sketch to see James Austin Johnson's perfect "get out of the boat" reaction. You can also compare it to the original 2023 version to see which "American quirk" hits closer to home for you.