Subhi Agrawal
During the premiere of season 50 of the comedy sketch series on September 28, the cold open showcased highly anticipated political castings, including SNL alum Andy Samberg portraying Kamala Harris’ husband, Doug Emhoff, and Dana Carvey as President Joe Biden. Additionally, Jim Gaffigan appeared as Harris’ running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.
Maya Rudolph and James Austin Johnson Lead SNL’s Cold Open
Maya Rudolph took on the role of Harris, while James Austin Johnson portrayed Trump, having first debuted his impression of the former president in 2021. SNL cast member Bowen Yang played Trump’s 2024 running mate, J.D. Vance.
The cold open started with cast member Andrew Dismukes portraying journalist David Muir, who introduced Harris’ rally. Rudolph, 52, then took the stage, announcing, “Your fun aunt has returned.”
“The funt has been rebooted. Too funt too furious,” she said.
Rudolph’s Harris subsequently welcomed her running mate, Walz, who received a warm reception from the audience as Gaffigan, 58, joined her on stage.
“Folks, I haven’t been this excited since I got a 10% rebate on a leaf blower from Menards. I got that BDE: Big Dad Energy,” he told the audience.
“In Minnesota, we have a saying, ‘Mind your damn business.’ We also have another saying in Minnesota, ‘My nuts froze to the park bench,’ ” Gaffigan, as Walz, told the crowd.
However, as Rudolph stated, “Tim is not the only white dude for Harris here today.”
Samberg’s Doug Emhoff Makes Hilarious Entrance on SNL
Samberg’s Emhoff then took the stage and introduced himself, “Tis’ I Doug, the second gentle-mensch. Also known as Charlie Brown if he was a grown-up.”
The star then claimed that he was “proud to join the esteemed list of presidential spouses throughout history. Women and men — but all women — that have stood by the president’s side.”
“I for one can’t wait to decorate the White House for Christmas. The theme will be Hanukkah,” Samberg, 46, made a joke while portraying Harris’ husband.
In another part of the sketch, Dismukes’ Muir welcomed viewers to Trump’s rally, where Johnson’s Trump humorously expressed a desire for Biden to still be his challenger.
“We miss Joe Biden. What wouldn’t we give to have him stand next to me and be old?” he remarked, just before Yang’s Vance arrived to energize “this crowd.” The scene then shifted back to Harris’ rally, where Carvey, 69, unveiled his impression of Biden.
“I didn’t want to. They made me,” he replied at one point when Rudolph’s Harris expressed gratitude for “handing over the reins.”
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