Once Kamala Harris announced that Tim Walz would be her vice presidential candidate, speculation immediately began about who would play the Minnesota governor on Saturday Night Live when it returns to the 2024 TV schedule for its 50th season. Fans pointed to comedians like Steve Martin, Jim Gaffigan, Jim O’Heir and more as possible actors to play Harris’ running mate. Now, the Only Murders in the Building star and Parks and Rec alum have responded to the fan-casting in the most on-brand ways.
How Steve Martin Responded To The SNL Dream Casting
Honestly, Steve Martin feels like a natural pick for this part. In the past, Saturday Night Live has had cast members, alums and long-time friends of the show come on to play politicians – famously, Alec Baldwin impersonated Donald Trump for a long time and Melissa McCarthy reprised her role as Sean Spicer multiple times. Considering Martin is not only in the five-timers club but has hosted 17 times across the series’ run, he has the experience to take on the gig.
Fans were loud and proud about the possibility of Martin joining Maya Rudolph (who will be back to play Kamala Harris) on SNL this season, and of course, he had an on-brand response to it all, posting on Threads:
I just learned that Tim Walz wants to go on the road with Marty Short.
It feels so on-par of Steve Martin to joke about switching roles with Walz, and it’s even more on-brand because he brought his long-time pal and comedic partner Martin Short into the bit.
Season 4 of Only Murders in the Building premieres this summer, so of course Martin has Short on his mind. Plus, this joke was not only hilarious but a fun little reminder (at least to me) about their whodunnit.
Overall, Steve Martin has the history and comedic skills to kill it as Tim Walz on Saturday Night Live. However, per the LA Times (via Yahoo), he has turned down the gig, saying:
I wanted to say no and, by the way, [Lorne Michaels] wanted me to say no. I said, 'Lorne, I'm not an impressionist. You need someone who can really nail the guy.' I was picked because I have gray hair and glasses.
Luckily, there are a lot of other comedians that fans could see playing the part of the VP candidate, including one very funny Parks and Rec actor.
How Jim O’Heir Responded To Stories About Him, Tim Walz And SNL
Jim O’Heir played Jerry/Garry/Larry/Terry Gergich in the Parks and Rec cast. Let’s just say the Jerry energy was alive and well in a lot of reports about the actor being considered as a candidate to play Tim Walz.
CNN posted a side-by-side of four actors who fans had put up as potential Tim Walz impersonators. This included Martin, Al Franken, Jim Gaffigan and O’Heir. Notably, the Parks and Rec alum’s photo isn’t as refined as the others, which is totally something that would happen to Jerry. Responding to that photo, O’Heir took to X to write:
I don’t mind being in the mix but that’s the best pic of me that they could come up with? LOL
You can go back and watch old episodes of SNL now and Season 50 once it starts airing with a Peacock subscription.
He makes such a valid point, and he did so in such a kind and silly way, much like Jerry would.
Overall, O’Heir is also a good pick for this part. While he doesn’t have the SNL experience of folks like Martin and Franken, Parks and Rec is in the NBC family, and the Jerry actor proved that he could hold his own with comedic powerhouses like Amy Poehler, Nick Offerman and Chris Pratt. I think he’d bring a fun Midwest charm to the part – much like he did on the beloved mockumentary – and it’d be such a great opportunity for him.
At this point, we still don’t know who will play Tim Walz, and we probably won’t until Saturday Night Live Season 50 premieres on September 28. Considering the show’s past with hiring incredible actors to play politicians and the fact that it’s in a historic season, I imagine they’ll bring out the big guns for these presidential parts.
