“Saturday Night Live” kicked off its 50th season ready to take on the 2024 presidential campaign, and it finally revealed who was tapped to play key figures, including Gov. Tim Walz, Ohio Sen. JD Vance and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff.
In the season premiere‘s cold open, former “SNL” cast member Maya Rudolph reprised her take on Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential hopeful, as had been widely reported. She was joined by comedian Jim Gaffigan as Walz, Harris’ genial running mate and governor of Minnesota. “SNL” alum Andy Samberg appeared as Emhoff, and completing the Democratic side was another alum — Dana Carvey as President Biden .
Meanwhile, current cast members James Austin Johnson returned as former President Trump, while Bowen Yang took on the role of his running mate, Vance. The sketch opened with cast member Andrew Dismukes as ABC news anchor David Muir, who co-moderated the recent presidential debate, addressing viewers before cutting to footage of rallies held by each of the candidates. At the Harris-Walz rally, Rudolph’s Harris quipped within second of reaching the podium, “Look who fell out of that coconut tree?” and eventually launched into her notable laugh.
At one point she declared, “My campaign is like the Sabrina Carpenter song, ‘Espresso’ — the lyrics are vague but the vibe slaps.” Gaffigan’s Walz added his own barbs, saying his decision to join the Harris ticket was personal: “As a former teacher, I.