'Saturday Night Live' commenced its 50th season with a politically-themed, high-profile cold opening.
Maya Rudolph, stepping back into her role as Harris, chuckled that her campaign wasn't dissimilar to Sabrina Carpenter's summer anthem "Espresso" – "the lyrics might be ambiguous, but the energy is undeniable."
Rudolph shared the stage with three notable guests, Jim Gaffigan as Harris' vice presidential nominee Tim Walz, Andy Samberg as her husband Doug Emhoff, and Dana Carvey as President Joe Biden.
Gaffigan, as Walz, emphasized Walz's modest Minnesota upbringing, jesting at one point, "This Suite is from Costco. It's a Kirkland brand. They make fantastic pet food."
Samberg garnered laughter with lines like, "I'm proud to join the illustrious list of first spouses – ladies and gentlemen, but mostly ladies."
Meanwhile, during the other half of the sketch, James Austin Johnson returned in his role as Trump, who was addressing his very own rally. His audience gradually started to dwindle as he ventured into his third hour of speech-making.
Before introducing his running mate, Johnson as Trump cracked a joke, "people are saying he's a bad choice and in many ways, he is."
Cast member Bowen Yang then entered, playing Sen. JD Vance.
"Just this afternoon, Trump told me, 'JD, you're like a son to me, because I don't like you, and I'm stuck with you,'" Bowen impersonated Vance.
The season premiere was hosted by Jean Smart, with musical guest Jelly Roll.
Rudolph's energetic performance as Harris was reminiscent of the infectious vibes in contemporary entertainment, similar to that in popular songs.The event also featured a hilarious moment when Doug Emhoff, portrayed by Andy Samberg, jokingly mentioned joining an esteemed list in the world of first spouses.
