Saturday night live pokes fun at the 2024 election, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump — with a few new members in the mix!
During the sketch comedy series’ 50th season premiere on September 28, the show’s cold open featured the highly anticipated cast of some of the biggest political faces, including SNL Alum Andy Samberg as Harris’ husband Doug Emhoff and Dana Carvey as President Joe Biden. Meanwhile, Joe Gaffigan has emerged as Harris’ opponent, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.
Harris was portrayed by Maya Rudolph, while Trump was played by James Austin Johnson, who first performed his impression of the former president in 2021.
The cold open began with cast member Andrew Dismukes as journalist David Muir introducing Harris’ set, before Rudolph appeared on stage to announce that “your funny aunt is back.”
“The pound is back on,” she said, adding, “Too pound too furious.”
Rudolph’s Harris soon introduced his rival, Walz, when Gaffigan took the stage to a standing ovation from the crowd.
“Guys, I haven’t been this excited since I got 10% off a leaf blower from Menards,” he told the crowd, also noting, “I got that BDE: Big Dad Energy.”
“In Minnesota, we have a saying, ‘Mind your own damn business.’ We have another saying in Minnesota, ‘My nuts froze to the park bench,'” an energetic Gaffigan, as Walz, told the audience.
However, as Rudolph noted, “Tim isn’t the only white guy for Harris here today.”
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Saturday night live Announces season 50 lineup including Jean Smart, Ariana Grande and Chappelle Roan
Samberg’s Emhoff then appeared on stage and introduced himself: “This is Doug, the other gentle-mensch. Also known as Charlie Brown if he was grown up.”
During his speech, he revealed that he was “proud to join the esteemed list of presidential spouses throughout history. Women and men – but all women – who have stood by the president.”
“I can’t wait to decorate the White House for Christmas. The theme will be Hanukkah,” quipped Samberg as Harris’ husband.
Elsewhere in the sketch, Dismukes’ Muir ushered the audience into a Trump rally, where, among other jokes, Johnson’s Trump admitted that he wished Biden was still his opponent.
“We miss Joe Biden. What we wouldn’t give to have him standing next to me and being old,” he said. Yang’s Vance soon appeared alongside him to “play this crowd”. Soon the action returned to the Harris rally where Carvey appeared to debut his wonderful Biden impression.
“I didn’t want to. They made me,” he said at one point when Rudolph’s Harris thanked him for “handing over the reins.”
James Austin Johnson as Donald Trump on ‘SNL’.
Saturday Night Live/YouTube
SNLThe latest political cold open comes weeks ahead of the upcoming presidential election pitting Harris, 59, and Trump, 78, against each other.
Earlier this month, the opponents clashed during a debate that aired on ABC on Tuesday, September 10. It was hosted by David Muir and Linsey Davis.
Trump said after the event that he would not participate in another debate with the vice president, which would have marked his third election cycle, after previously facing President Joe Biden in June.
“THERE WILL NOT BE A THIRD DISCUSSION!” Trump posted on his social media platform, Truth Social, on Thursday, September 12: “When a fighter loses a battle, the first words that come out of him are, ‘I WANT A REVENGE.’ The polls clearly show that I won the debate against comrade Kamala Harris, the candidate of the radical left of the Democrats, on Tuesday night, and she immediately called for a second debate.”
Harris called for another debate minutes after leaving the stage — even though polls had overwhelmingly declared her the winner of the night, not Trump.
SNLThe season 50 premiere was hosted by Jean Smart, with Jelly Roll as the musical guest.
Others who made cameo appearances during the milestone included Smart’s Hack actress Hannah
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This season SNL The cast includes Michael Che, Mikey Day, Andrew Dismukes, Chloe Fineman, Heidi Gardner, James Austin Johnson, Colin Jost, Ego Nwodima, Sarah Sherman, Kenan Thompson, Bowen Yang, Marcello Hernandez, Michael Longfellow and Devon Walker, plus newcomer Ashley Padilla , Emil Wakim and Jane Wickline.
Other presenters and musical guests announced so far for SNLSeason 50 features Nate Bargatze with Coldplay, Ariana Grande with Stevie Nicks, Michael Keaton with Billie Eilish and John Mulaney with Chappelle RoanSaturday night live airs weekends at 11:30pm EST on NBC.
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Source: HIS Education