Saturday Night Live ’s landmark 50 th season will kick off nearly over a month ahead of the 2024 presidential election with plenty of material for its cold opens and other political skits. With Maya Rudolph returning to portray Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris , its likely that James Austin Johnson will portray Donald Trump and or Joe Biden in parodies of the candidates. Doug Emhoff (who has been portrayed in the past by Martin Short) and Vice President Tim Walz will also likely receive parodies, though Short’s Only Murders in the Building costar Steve Martin has declined the ask to portray Walz .
The first five consecutive SNL shows’ hosts and musical guests have been announced , and given the volume and talent of cast members over the years, a look back at political parodies by hosts, guests and members of the comedy ensemble can be found below. Will Ferrell as Dubya The comedian portrayed President George W. Bush in Season 26 to shed more light on the decision to bomb Iraq, even roping in a Bill Clinton scandal.
The new take on bipartisanship got laughs from the 2001 audience. Chevy Chase as President Ford The roots of SNL’s political parody go all the way back to its debut season in 1975 and its first — and one of its most famous — presidential portrayals. On the show’s fourth episode, Chevy Chase inagurated his version of a bumbling President Gerald Ford.
Chase was playing off of a much-publicized incident wherein Ford fell dow.