Who Should Play Tim Walz on ‘Saturday Night Live?’
Democratic nominee Kamala Harris has announced Tuesday morning that she’s picking Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her VP pick, and fans of Saturday Night Live are already wondering: Who’s gonna play him?
The debate is similar to the one going on around Donald Trump’s new running mate, J.D. Vance, except this time there’s no obvious pick from the cast. As was the case with Maya Rudolph’s Kamala Harris since 2019 and Alec Baldwin’s Trump in 2016, the odds are that Walz will be played by an outside celebrity, although anything’s possible.
So here are our picks, loosely ranked from least to most likely.
Chris Farley
This one’s not a real option of course, as Farley sadly passed away in 1997. He’s worth mentioning, however, because right-wing pundits like Ben Shapiro have already tried (and failed) to disparage Walz by comparing him to the late comedy legend. Sorry Ben, but associating Walz with Farley is not a good strategy. In a better world where Farley was still with us, he’d have made an amazing pick. And fun fact: Farley and Walz were both born in 1964, so they would have been the exact same age.
Lewis Black
The beloved stand-up comedian (and recurring correspondent for The Daily Show) is famous for his cranky but lovable ways. Not only do he and Walz look alike, but they both give off the vibes of a midwestern dad who wants you to get it together already. Black’s usual material might be a little too cynical to match what Walz is going for, but if SNL chooses to portray Walz in a cranky manner, Black seems like the man for the job.
Paul Giamatti
This guy deserves a shout-out not just because we know he can be funny, but also because he recently played a curmudgeonly high school teacher in The Holdovers. His character came through for one of his students in a major, heartwarming way, and it’s easy to see SNL aiming for that sort of tone.
James Austin Johnson
It’s hard to find a current cast member who even vaguely resembles Tim Walz, and Johnson was the best we could do. Still, it’s not a crazy idea: we know Johnson’s an amazing political impressionist, and we can see him pulling off the Walz look with a little bit of makeup and hair work.
The fact that he’s already playing Trump doesn’t even have to be a big deal either: In 1992, Dana Carvey famously played both Bill Clinton and Ross Perot in the same debate sketch. (He then did it again on Kimmel with Biden and Trump.) That sort of fun meta spectacle could add a lot of excitement to the show.
[New Cast Member TBD]
A lot of SNL fans have long maintained that the show should refrain from too many guest stars so that the regular cast members don’t have to scrounge so hard for screen time. But there aren’t many good lookalikes in the current cast this year, which has already made fans wonder: how come there are no beefy older guys currently on the SNL roster? Walz’ pick seems like a good opportunity to address this demographic gap as new casting decisions continue to be made ahead of the September 28 season premiere.
Steve Martin
This is the obvious choice. Martin looks a bit like Walz, sounds a bit like Walz, and he has been a regular recurring guest on Saturday Night Live for over 50 years. There’s no question that he could pull this role off, which is why he’s already at the top of most fans’ wishcasting lists. The only issue is that he’s a little too easy, a little too predictable. If SNL really wants to make headlines, maybe it’s best to go with a total wildcard…
Danny DeVito
It’s definitely a risk: At 79(!), DeVito is almost 20 years older than Walz and significantly shorter. He’s also got a reputation for playing sleazeballs like the Penguin or Frank Reynolds, not the charming former teacher archetype SNL would likely go for here. But DeVito and Walz do sort of look alike, and the actor would bring a bold, exciting meme-friendly energy that would fit in perfectly with the Harris/Walz campaign so far. Will DeVito make for the most accurate or flattering impression of Walz? Maybe not, but he’ll definitely make the most interesting.
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