Saturday Night Live's 50th season premiered with show alum Maya Rudolph reprising her role as “fun aunt” Kamala Harris, this time holding a jovial campaign rally while Donald Trump and JD Vance try not to bore attendees at theirs.
Rudolph, whose portrayal of Harris was announced in July, first played her five years ago when the then-California senator was seeking the Democratic nomination. The following year, she returned to the late night show as Biden's running mate.
Now, Rudolph has a running mate of her own: Tim Walz, as depicted by comedian Jim Gaffigan.
“Folks, I haven't been this excited since I got a ten percent rebate on a leaf blower from Menard's!” the midwesterner told the crowd.
“This is personal for me,” he added later. “I love this country. And as a former teacher, I need the money.”
After being nudged off stage, Rudolph introduced her husband, Doug Emhoff. Former SNL cast member Andy Samberg took on that role, introducing himself as the “Second Gentlemensch.”
Meanwhile, over at the Trump rally–in its third hour–the former president (James Austin Johnson) was spending his time fretting about his supporters getting up and leaving the venue.
“Where the hell is everyone going? Where are you going? I see you trying to leave, but the doors are locked!” he said, as the shot cut back to Rudolph, who was dancing behind the podium.
In a pained voice, he then expressed how much he missed President Joe Biden.
“What we wouldn't give to have him stand next to me and be old!” he exclaimed, lamenting how his reelection chances have dipped and repeating the debunked notion that pets are being eaten by immigrants.
To help explain that conspiracy, Trump welcomed JD Vance (Bowen Yang), who in real life spread lies about it despite knowing there was nothing to substantiate his claims.
“Now I'm sure you've all heard what the liberal media has been saying about me. I'm a creep. I'm a weirdo. What the hell am I doing here?” he said, an allusion to Radiohead's “Creep.”
“I'll tell you what I'm doing here: getting this crowd hyped!” he said, as one person seated behind him got up and left.
After the feed from the GOP rally cut once Vance started to explain Project 2025, the unpopular right-wing agenda that Trump has tried to distance himself from despite his many links to it, Rudolph–still dancing–welcomed to the stage President Joe Biden, played by Dana Carvey.
Rudolph ended his comments early as well after he struggled to string a sentence together. She then closed the sketch with a pledge to voters.
“If we win,” she said, “together we can end the dramala and the traumala, and go relax in our pajamalas.”
