The season premiere episode of Season 50 of Saturday Night Live aired September 28th with host Jean Smart and musical guest Jelly Roll, setting the bar pretty high for the rest of the season.
Throughout Saturday Night Live’s 50-year history, cast members have created some of the most iconic characters in politics and pop culture. The one-and-a-half-hour show sometimes features the most viral events of the week that are based on real people, and they do a fantastic job of casting the actor who has the potential to play this character for the long run.
With every new season comes the probability that the politicians portrayed in the sketches will be played by someone other than those who played them in past seasons. Now that we are two episodes in (host Nate Bargatze with musical guest Coldplay), check out who has been cast to play the politicians of the 2024 election season.
The 2024 Democratic White House
President Joe Biden, Vice-President and Democratic Nominee Kamala Harris, and second husband Doug Emhoff are the main characters of this current Democratic Party, so Saturday Night Live brought in the legends of seasons past – Maya Rudolph (as Kamala Harris), Dana Carvey (as Joe Biden), and Andy Samberg (as Doug Emhoff).
The Vice President Candidates of 2024
With Tim Walz relatively new to the public at large, casting a comedy veteran would be the surefire way to play the Governor of Minnesota as convincingly as possible. Enter Jim Gaffigan, a stand-up comedian and actor who was the whole package – sounds, acts, and even looks like Tim Walz.
J.D. Vance is also a new-ish political figure for SNL, so fan favorite cast member Bowen Yang filled the role showcasing his versatile range of talent in acting and impressions. The VP debate sketch was definitely memorable.
The Debate Moderators at ABC and CBS
The political sketches on SNL also include supporting characters of the moment which include the debate moderators David Muir of ABC News and Norah O’Donnell and Margaret Brennan from CBS News.
The other politicians of the Week making headlines
So many politicians have been imitated on SNL (check out this article), from staffers to US politicians to world leaders. The frequency of appearances depends on how much drama they seem to be causing in the headlines but always makes for hilarious, over-the-top impressions that we wish we could count on seeing every episode. So far, Lt. Governor Mark Robinson and Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett made their debut for Season 50.
Just Getting Started
2024 is arguably the most consequential year in politics, so what would normally be considered cameos from past cast members, there is a high likelihood that they will remain for the season playing the character that only the SNL legends could do.
Who will be the next cameo we can expect? Don’t forget to check out this week’s episode of Saturday Night Live on October 12th hosted by Ariana Grande and joined by musical guest Stevie Nicks! Don’t forget to check back in here for a post-show review.