The approach of another presidential election brings with it many questions: In what direction is the United States headed? Who will be our next president and vice president? And, most crucially, who will play them on “Saturday Night Live”?
Election-season comedy sketches are an “S.N.L.” staple, providing cast members with opportunities to gain visibility for their impersonations of prominent politicians and — increasingly — for the show to tap into its network of celebrity guests, friends and spouses to play these roles. When new political figures come to national attention, we can’t help but indulge our inner Lorne Michaels and imagine who we’d cast to imitate them.
The show’s plans were likely scrambled last month when President Biden announced that he would stand down as the Democratic presidential nominee. That paved the way for Vice President Kamala Harris to take his place at the top of the ticket, and for Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota to join as her running mate. On the Republican side, former President Donald J. Trump offered his vice-presidential slot to Senator JD Vance of Ohio.
These are all characters likely to appear on “S.N.L.,” whose 50th season will begin on Sept. 28. And while the show hasn’t officially announced who it intends to cast in these key roles (and NBC declined to comment for this article), there is plenty of history and wild internet speculation to sift through. Let’s take a look at where these races currently stand.
Kamala Harris
The front-runner
Necessity is the mother of invention, and now that “S.N.L.” needs a Harris impersonator to play a prominent role this fall, Maya Rudolph is clearly the mother to call on. An “S.N.L.” cast member from 2000 to 2007, Rudolph began playing Harris in guest appearances during the Democratic primaries in 2019, racking up some highly GIF-able moments and winning two Emmy Awards along the way. Rudolph appeared as Harris 10 times through 2021, and the woman herself, in social media posts, appeared to approve of the portrayal. “S.N.L.” has not confirmed that Rudolph will play Harris, but Deadline has reported that production on her Apple TV+ series, “Loot,” has been pushed back to make room for her return to the show — as everyone and their mother seems to be clamoring for.
The alternates
“S.N.L.” didn’t have an obvious backup choice waiting in the wings. The only other performer who has played Harris on the show was Punkie Johnson, who appeared in the role just once, in March, in an opening sketch that parodied the State of the Union. Johnson had no dialogue in that appearance, and she has since said she is leaving “S.N.L.”
Donald Trump
The front-runner
There are no certainties in life or on “S.N.L.,” but if any bit of casting is a lock, it is James Austin Johnson returning as the former president and Republican presidential nominee. Michaels characterized his portrayal in 2022, perhaps a bit prematurely, as “the diminished Trump. It’s the guy at the back of the hardware store with a lot of opinions.”
That impersonation was deployed sparingly last year. In one fateful sketch Johnson, as Trump, stood in front of an ensemble of “S.N.L.” co-stars playing his failed Republican rivals for the presidential nomination and declared: “They’re all stuck behind me and there’s nothing they can do about it. Just like in real life.” For a time, Johnson had also been playing President Biden on the show, so it seemed significant when that role unexpectedly went to the cast member Mikey Day, freeing up Johnson to focus on Trump alone.
The alternates
Alec Baldwin famously and frequently played Trump from 2016 to 2020. Following the dismissal of a manslaughter case against Baldwin in July, it’s unclear how soon he could return to the show if necessary. If “S.N.L.” had to dig deep into its bench, it also has the former cast member-turned-announcer Darrell Hammond, who played Trump off and on for nearly 20 years.
Tim Walz
The front-runner
The role of the Minnesota governor and newly chosen Democratic vice-presidential nominee seemed like Steve Martin’s to lose. Martin was a favorite of internet handicappers within minutes of Tuesday’s announcement that Harris had selected Walz as her running mate: Martin has similarly snowy hair, the eyeglasses, and — oh yes — a relationship with “S.N.L.” going back to its second season.
What Martin didn’t have, apparently, was the desire to play the part. He passed on an invitation from Lorne Michaels, telling The Los Angeles Times: “You need someone who can really nail the guy. I was picked because I have gray hair and glasses.” (Martin previously played Trump’s ally Roger Stone in 2019.)
The alternates
Molly Kearney, who impersonated other sturdy heartland figures like the Kansas City Chiefs head coach, Andy Reid, has left “S.N.L.” Online fans have tossed out all kinds of wild-card candidates, including Jim Gaffigan, Richard Kind and Danny DeVito. Julia Sweeney, an “S.N.L.” mainstay of the 1990s, has also thrown her hat into the ring. Does Michaels know any other “S.N.L.” stalwarts with white hair and an avuncular manner? Like maybe the guy he sees every time he looks in a mirror? Hey, it’s the 50th season, anything’s possible.
JD Vance
The contenders
In the case of Walz, “S.N.L.” at least had an obvious contender to approach (and be rejected by). Not so much with Vance, who became Trump’s running mate in July and who doesn’t seem to have such a clear counterpart in the “S.N.L.” cast or in its wider constellation of alums and celebrity guests.
Internet fans have suggested the “S.N.L.” alum Taran Killam, who with a beard at least resembles Vance, but who has in the past expressed disappointment with how he was let go from the show. There’s also the “Hangover” star Zach Galifianakis, a past “S.N.L.” host, and the “Ted Lasso” star Jason Sudeikis, a former cast member who has played Biden on the show. Some online observers favor the now-grown “Sixth Sense” star Haley Joel Osment, though he’s never done “S.N.L.” before. And if “S.N.L.” would consider giving the part to someone already on its payroll, there’s the current cast member Michael Longfellow, who doesn’t look like Vance but can match his dry and affectless speaking style.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
The contenders
While there is no immediate indication that “S.N.L.” plans to include Kennedy, the independent candidate, in its election sketches, the show occasionally has included third-party contenders in the past.
Kennedy’s propensity for making headlines — like his recent admission that he left a dead bear cub in Central Park in 2014 — makes him a ripe target for satire, and the show has previously deployed Sarah Sherman to play a character called RFK Jr.’s Brain Worm. Fans have suggested that alums like Martin Short (who has made many cameos in recent seasons) and Bill Murray (who popped up a few years ago as Steve Bannon). There are no obvious contenders in the current “S.N.L.” cast to play Kennedy himself — could the show tap Larry David to play the husband of his “Curb Your Enthusiasm” co-star Cheryl Hines? Or just draw on its long history with the Muppets and bring out Fozzie Bear for a rebuttal?
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