‘SNL’ Season 50 Premiere Kicks Off on the Campaign Trail With Maya Rudolph, Jim Gaffigan, Dana Carvey

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It’s no surprise that Saturday Night Live‘s milestone 50th season kicked off with a focus on one of the most highly-anticipated events… the upcoming 2024 presidential election.

The new batch of political candidates was revealed during Saturday night’s cold open, with Maya Rudolph starring as Kamala Harris, Jim Gaffigan as Tim Walz, Dana Carvey as Joe Biden and Andy Samberg as Douglas Emhoff. SNL cast members James Austin Johnson and Bowen Yang played Donald Trump and J.D. Vance, respectively.

The camera first cut to Rudolph’s Harris after Andrew Dismukes’s David Muir with ABC News said they were going to be checking in with each candidate out on the campaign trail at their respective rallies.

“Well, your fun aunt has returned,” Rudolph’s Harris initially says. “I am so happy to be campaigning in whatever swing state I’m in, which I will just refer to as Wisconsin-Pennsylv-Georgia because I am going to protect your Va-Georgia.”

“You see, my campaign is like the Sabrina Carpenter song ‘Espresso,’” Rudolph’s Harris continues during her speech. “The lyrics are vague but the vibe slaps.”

“Now this election is about moving forward,” she adds before introducing her overly excited running mate. “You see, Donald Trump is stuck in the past, but it’s like I say to my husband Doug when he leaves his phone at the Chili’s, ‘We are not going back!’”

Gaffigan’s Walz then proceeded to come onto the stage with a huge smile. “I haven’t been this excited since I got a 10 percent rebate on a leaf blower for Menards,” he says. “Can I say, I got that B.D.E…. Big Dad Energy. You see what I did there?”

“I got it. I didn’t want it, but I got it,” Rudolph’s Harris quips, before later saying, “Tim is not the only white dude for Harris here today.”

She then brings out her husband, Samberg’s Emhoff, who has a strong message for Republicans, “I’ve heard what the right says about me just because I’m unapologetic about being a man supporting his wife: ‘Oh, he’s a beta, a wife guy, a trad husband, a little spoon.’ You know what, if helping Kamala — who we call Mamala in my family — become president means being a little spoon, then you can kiss my little butt.”

Dismukes’s Muir then tossed to Trump’s rally, where the former president went off on multiple tangents, including how much he misses Joe Biden.

“Oh Joe, we miss Joe Biden folks. What we wouldn’t give to have him stand next to me and be old,” Johnson’s Trump says. “We had this in the bag, but then they did a switcheroo.”

The former president then brought out his running mate, who had a few interesting words to share. “Just this afternoon, he [Trump] told me, ‘J.D., you’re like a son to me because I don’t like you, but I’m stuck with you.’”

After Dismukes’s Muir quickly cut away from Trump’s rally, he then went back to Harris’ event, “where the dancing appears to be wrapping up.” Rudolph’s Harris brought out Carvey’s Biden as her final guest.

“A lot of people forget I’m president, including me,” Carvey’s Biden jokes.

Jean Smart hosted the season 50 premiere of NBC’s sketch comedy show with musical guest Jelly Roll. She poked fun at SNL during the monologue, saying, “I remember watching the very first episode of SNL and thinking, ‘Someday, I’m gonna host that show.’ And this is the first Saturday that worked with my schedule.”

The actress also highlighted different aspects of New York City, where SNL is filmed. Smart says she likes “the stink of it,” especially in the autumn when “all the garbage on the street is finally changing colors, beautiful, beautiful.” She later took a jab at recently indicted NYC Mayor Eric Adams, who is facing federal charges alleging that he took illegal campaign contributions and bribes from foreign nationals.