‘SNL’ takes aim at vice presidential debate, pokes fun at JD Vance and Tim Walz in opening sketch
Live from New York, it’s the premiere, and possibly the only, “Saturday Night Live” debate parody for the 2024 election.
The recent cold open of the show mocked this week’s vice presidential debate, featuring Jim Gaffigan as Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Bowen Yang reprising his role as Senator JD Vance. The sketch depicted Vice President Kamala Harris, portrayed by Maya Rudolph, anxiously watching the debate next to her husband Douglas Emhoff (Andy Samberg).
As the humor began, both candidates skillfully avoided a question regarding the Middle East crisis—Vance sidestepped the question, and Walz stumbled over jargon like “fundamental” multiple times. Harris grew increasingly anxious about her running mate’s performance as Emhoff reassured her that Walz wouldn’t “say anything outrageous.”
Walz then made a controversial statement, saying, “I’ve become friends with school shooters,” which caused Harris to accidentally shatter her wine glass. Walz later explained to NBC News that he was discussing the importance of meeting individuals in crisis situations.
The sketch continued to mock Walz for a claim about being in Hong Kong during the Tiananmen Square protests.
“What really happened,” Gaffigan’s Walz said, “was I went to Epcot. You can travel the world there, and I had a couple in the Germany section, and I thought I was in China. Anyway, I’m a bit of a knucklehead.”
Vance took his share of the comedic hits as well, with Yang’s character stating that when he suggested Trump might be likened to Hitler, he was “complimenting” him. He then insisted that his claims couldn’t be fact-checked, asserting that Trump “peacefully handed over power.”
“If we’re allowed to stand up here and lie, then I would like to say I actually was in Tiananmen Square,” Gaffigan’s Walz quipped.
The sketch portrayed Vance and Walz as they surprisingly found common ground during their debate, with music playing in the background as they gazed intensely into each other’s eyes. After spitting out her wine, Rudolph’s Harris exclaimed, “Why are they friends? Why do they seem to connect?”
By the end, Rudolph’s Harris felt relieved when Vance refrained from claiming Trump lost the 2020 election, which the sketch framed as a surprising victory for Walz. “Honey, we did it!” Emhoff said, excitedly. “We got the sound bite!” Harris celebrated their debate as a “huge victory” since it “changed nothing!”
In a later part of the sketch, Dana Carvey’s President Joe Biden joined the debate watch party, critiquing Walz’s performance. “The vice president doesn’t really matter,” he said casually while enjoying an ice cream cone. “I mean, who even remembers who Obama’s VP was? Nobody knows!”
Another highlight from Saturday’s episode was The Lonely Island’s return with a digital short featuring a new song about an eccentric business idea allowing people to eat sushi through a hole in a bathroom stall.
“SNL” is set to return next week, featuring Ariana Grande as the host and Stevie Nicks as the musical guest.
