'Family Feud'-style skit on 'SNL' unites Democratic and Republican figures
Certainly less provocative than its politically-charged sketches and jokes as of late, the game show setup served as an ideal stage for "SNL"'s election cast – Maya Rudolph as Vice President Kamala Harris, Andy Samberg as her husband Doug Emhoff, Jim Gaffigan as her running mate Governor Tim Walz, Dana Carvey as President Joe Biden, James Austin Johnson as former President Donald Trump, Bowen Yang as Senator JD Vance, and Mikey Day as Donald Trump Jr.
Kenan Thompson's Steve Harvey led the game, prompting contestants to list objects found in a glove compartment. Rapidly, Rudolph's Harris and Samberg's Emhoff had the top two answers on the board, announcing "gun" and "additional gun," respectively.
Perhaps the funniest retort belonged to Gaffigan, playing Walz, who responded: "Hand warmers, Runza's napkins, and absolutely essential, Tums for dealing with something spicy like tomatoes."
Johnson's Trump drew chuckles from the audience as well, joking at one point: "I say numerous things, but they somehow harmoniously join together, like an episode of 'Seinfeld.'"
This political-themed sketch marked the third consecutive "SNL" cold open dedicated to politics, though humor levels appeared to be slightly lower compared to previous episodes. However, "SNL"'s creator Lorne Michaels had made it clear prior to the season's start that the show would focus on politics.
"You can't lecture the crowd, which is essentially what most politics now consist of - individuals lecturing the crowd. Ours, on the other hand, is more like, 'Yes, there are indeed foolish types on both sides,'" Michaels shared last month. "It must be comedy. At our core, we are a comedy show."
Ariana Grande reprised her hosting role for the new episode, with Stevie Nicks serving as the musical guest.
The entertaining banter between Maya Rudolph as Vice President Kamala Harris and Andy Samberg as her husband Doug Emhoff stole the show during the game, with their humorous answers about gun-related objects. Lorne Michaels, the creator of "SNL", emphasized that despite the political-themed sketches, the show is fundamentally a comedy show.
