SNL Video: Maya Rudolph’s Kamala Harris Is Joined by Dana Carvey as Joe Biden in Season 50 Premiere
With just over a month to go until election day, Saturday Night Live is bringing in reinforcements.
Former SNL cast members Dana Carvey and Andy Samberg returned to the show to play President Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’ husband Doug Emhoff, respectively, as Saturday’s Season 50 premiere kicked off with a cold open of dueling campaign rallies between Maya Rudolph’s Harris and James Austin Johnson’s Donald Trump.
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Rudolph’s Harris went first, drumming up votes in the swing state she’ll just call “WisconsnaPennsylvaGeorgia” — and she wanted to make it clear that if elected, she’ll “protect your VaGeorgia.” She also compared her campaign to the Sabrina Carpenter hit “Espresso” (“The lyrics are vague, but the vibe slaps”) and introduced her running mate Tim Walz, played by stand-up comic Jim Gaffigan, who bragged about his “BDE… big dad energy” and showed off his Kirkland brand suit. Plus, Samberg popped up as Doug Emhoff, who described himself as the “Second Gentlemensch” before getting all tough and reminding us he’s from L.A.: “Don’t start no stuff, won’t be no stuff, Donald!”
SNL Season 50 Hosts & Musical Guests
Johnson’s Trump, meanwhile, started off his rally by noticing people heading for the exits: “I see you trying to leave, but the doors are locked!” He also lamented the fact that he’s not running against Biden anymore (“What we wouldn’t give to have him stand next to me and be old!”) and tried to scare voters about immigrants: “They’re doing freak-offs with the dogs, and they’re making the geese watch… They’re doing a Diddy.” Cast member Bowen Yang then made his debut as Trump’s VP selection JD Vance, who tried to rally the crowd despite everyone — even Trump — not liking him very much. (They even rolled away the bulletproof protective shield when he came to the podium.)
Back at the Harris rally, Carvey came out as a squinting and addled Biden, talking in circles before Harris finally tried to push him off the stage. He admitted it wasn’t his choice to step aside as the nominee: “I didn’t want to! They made me!” Harris tried to get her speech back on track (“We can end the drama-la, and the trauma-la, and go relax in our pajama-las”)… but she was interrupted by a wandering Biden getting way too close to her.
Press PLAY above to watch the SNL cold open in full, and give the premiere a grade in our poll.
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