Kevin Dolak
·6-min read
It’s an election year and with all of the media frenzy and speculation, a bevy of new faces have stoically entered the national political fray. This sort of national political exposure comes for these career civil servants at a major inflection point for the country. So, naturally, this means that their parody equivalents will mock everything about them when they appear in Studio 8H at 30 Rockefeller for Saturday Night Live in a matter of weeks.
SNL returns for its 50th season with new episodes on Sept. 28, while the presidential election is set for Nov. 5. This gives the sketch comedy series six episodes before the race is decided to perfect caricatures of our nation’s next leaders. News broke last week that SNL alum and comedy superwoman Maya Rudolph will return to portray Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris (and let’s face it, would we ever want anyone else?). With his involuntary manslaughter charge dismissed, Alec Baldwin is available to return to his Emmy-winning turn as Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump — or perhaps current castmember James Austin Johnson, who has portrayed the former president over the past few years, will reprise the role.
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This leaves the comic actors who will portray Tim Walz and J.D. Vance, their respective running mates who are yet to be cast. Of course, online speculation began the moment that each of their attachments to the GOP and Democratic tickets were announced and, within 48 hours, one of the obvious candidates publicly stated his lack of interest (more on that below). So, who should it be? The trick with an impression is to extract the nuance of their speech, any idiosyncrasies or mannerisms, and — you betcha! — any catchphrases they deliver. Here are The Hollywood Reporter’s picks to round out the top contenders of the 2024 presidential campaigns.
Tim Walz
Steve Martin
The hair. The glasses. It was blindingly obvious to anyone who knows Steve Martin, the treasured comic actor prone to frequent SNL hosting bookings (he’s a member of the 16-Timers Club) and cameo appearances. Many don’t even realize he was never a castmember. An SNL legend — his classic “King Tut” performance turned 46 this year — what could be more perfect than Martin returning to spoof the potential next VP? Not doing it. Martin told the Los Angeles Times on Wednesday that he turned down Lorne Michaels’ request to play the vice presidential candidate.
“I wanted to say no and, by the way, he wanted me to say no,” Martin told the outlet. “I said, ‘Lorne, I’m not an impressionist. You need someone who can really nail the guy.’ I was picked because I have gray hair and glasses.”
Bradley Whitford
If SNL’s casting department is looking for someone with that white man, Midwestern, on-the-cusp-of-Gen-XWalz look, and Martin is unwilling to come on board, the next best thing is West Wing alum and Get Out villain Bradley Whitford. While he’d have to ditch the beard if he’s sporting a fuzzy face in late September, Whitford ticks plenty of boxes: He’s just four years older than Walz; their hairline and color nearly match; and Whitford is a staunch Democrat with a dry wit. He recently had one of the better lines in the White Dudes for Harris Zoom call when he mentioned the “rainbow of beige” he saw on his screen filled with white men.
Al Franken
Once again, the glasses could make it work. SNL player turned U.S. Senator Al Franken, who resigned in disgrace (and some say, without due process) during a #MeToo scandal in 2018, could portray Walz. If he were to do so, it would be the strangest melding of politics and comedy seen since … well, since Franken won a U.S. Senate seat in 2008. The 73-year-old has also said that he regrets resigning from his Senate role after one of his accuser’s accounts of his acts of sexual misconduct were found to be exaggerated and that he may run to gain his seat back. Could a role on SNL be his springboard for a return to politics? It would be a bold move, but may be a risk that Michaels will want to take.
The rest: Chris Farley was floated by many online speculators for the Walz role, but he is still dead, so, no. Danny DeVito, the comedy legend, is always welcome. John Goodman got some mentions, too; he has a great history of SNL appearances (remember his Linda Tripp?), and like DeVito, should always be offered a seat at the table.
J.D. Vance
Colin Jost
The torch of a talented writer who sat in the head writer chair at Studio 8H going on to portray a GOP VP hopeful could be passed from Tina Fey to Colin Jost if he were to take on the role of J.D. Vance this season. Trump’s ripe-for-satire pick of a running mate has been off to a wobbly start to the campaign, and the public knows enough about his backstory and personal life that Jost would have plenty to pick (on) from. The writers room top dog (along with co-head writer Michael Che) might have to give up his golfing habit for a few weeks to prep, but it would be nice to see him step out in front of the “Weekend Update” desk, slap on some eyeliner and give Vance a ribbing that could unite the parties in laughter.
Jason Sudeikis
The beloved SNL alum and Ted Lasso himself is wildly popular for the latter, but if he were thinking ahead, he’d be gunning for this gig. After all, the Ted Lasso love won’t go on forever. His nine-season run was full of funny-as-hell original characters and impressions of three major political figures over this tenure: President George W. Bush, current President Joe Biden and onetime presidential hopeful Mitt Romney. Why not come back for a fourth one, Jason? I mean, as savvy SNL fanatics, or those who just watch it way too closely, will recall, he already portrayed a guy named Vance on the beloved “What Up With That?” series of sketches.
Shane Gillis
The story on Shane Gillis and SNL could have a redemption chapter if he were to be offered and then absolutely nail the Vance impression that the people all want and need. Gillis was fired from the show ahead of the 2019 season when ethnic slurs he’d used in the past were resurfaced. Since then, he launched the very, very popular Matt and Shane’s Secret Podcast and was invited to return as an SNL host in season 49. He was shaky at best, but there were some laughs in the episode. Michaels has also expressed regret over what happened with Gillis’ casting on the show. Perhaps this is just too perfect? Maybe so, but maybe not for everyone still feeling stung by Gillis’ language and tone.
The rest: Current SNL castmember Mikey Day has got the look and would totally work as Vance. Ditto for former castmember Taran Killam — although it seems his departure was less than amiable, and he was certainly upset that Trump was allowed to host the show amid his first presidential campaign. Maybe the show should do some meta-casting and go with Gabriel Basso, the actor who portrayed Vance in Hillbilly Elegy, Ron Howard’s widely panned Netflix adaptation of his memoir?
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