On Sept. 28, the first episode of the of NBC’s Saturday Night Live (SNL) aired. The season observes SNL’s long tradition of satirical political coverage.
Featuring comedians Maya Rudolph as Vice President Kamala Harris, Andy Samberg as Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, Jim Gaffigan as Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, James Austin Johnson as President-elect Donald Trump, Bowen Yang as Vice President-elect JD Vance and Dana Carvey as President Joe Biden, this season’s political comedy had the possibility of serving as both election commentary and election news.
Since its inception in 1975, SNL’s live sketch comedy has often featured parodies of politics and culture, especially in its “cold opens” (the first sketch that precedes the title sequence and ends with “Live from New York, it’s Saturday Night!”). In “‘Saturday Night Live’ and the Production of Political Truth” professor of philosophy Kimberly Engels asserts that SNL’s candidate impersonations often impact viewer perception of those candidates and their events. By poking fun at politicians (and shortcomings in the coverage of other TV news programs), parodies reconceptualize them, highlighting things the audience might have missed the first time. According to Engels, many young people view late-night television as trustworthy and informative news—SNL’s political sketches have the ability to influence public opinion by “creating truth.”
However, the results of the 2024 election raise the question of whether or not SNL’s impact is as stark as some may think. SNL’s political sketches act as commentary, but they focus more on personality than policy, perhaps leading to unreliable news that didn’t affect viewers' voting decisions as much as it affects their opinion of the personalities of the candidates. Drawing out exaggerations of candidates’ traits and quirks, candidates are boiled down into caricatures that reveal how the writers view them.
The first cold open of the season, “,” effectively serves as an introduction to these caricatures. Maya Rudolph’s impeccable impression of Harris portrays the latter as a “fun aunt” who tells coconut tree jokes and wants to protect women’s “[Wisconso-Pennsyl]va-Georgias.” Described as being like Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso” (“the lyrics are vague, but the vibe slaps”), SNL presents Harris as personable but not particularly firm on policy. James Austin Johnson’s Trump, on the other hand, holds rambling, borderline inescapable rallies and desperately misses Joe Biden. Walz overruns with BDE (big dad energy) and is loud, gregarious and Minnesotan. Emhoff is a goofy white wife-guy. Biden is a constantly disorientated hair sniffer who can’t properly put a sentence together. And not even Trump likes “weirdo” Vance and his put-on accent.
In “,” Walz and Vance essentially become best friends, reflecting the general feeling that the debate was friendly, with the candidates finding a lot of common ground. Walz mentions he’s “become friends with school shooters,” to the chagrin of Harris and her husband watching at home, which is something he during the debate (though it was a gaffe). Both candidates humorously evade tough questions—such as Vance on whether Trump lost the 2020 election and on what to do in Israel—which is a pretty distillation of events.
Largely removed from reality, the third cold open, “,” starts with the premise that Family Feud was the only format through which Trump was willing to face Harris again. Trump’s refusal for another debate, quoted in the sketch as, “It’s not because I’m scared, so don’t tell people I’m scared,” is an apt paraphrase of his senior campaign advisor’s on the subject. Harris’ and Melania’s from Trump’s campaign are also accurate details. Harris’ response to the prompt “Name something that you keep in your glove compartment,” starting with “I was raised in a middle-class family …” is as funny as it is true to life.
“” satirizes Harris’ with the “hostile” network and features near-exact quotes and situations. Trump really did to the Village People’s “YMCA” at a rally and Jan. 6 was a “day of love,” Harris really defend Biden’s mental state and say she would “not be a continuation” of his presidency, and Bret Baier really did interrupt Harris a lot.
The last cold open before the election, appropriately named “,” continues the zany antics. To the elation of the live audience, the real Kamala Harris made a surprise appearance. Tantamount to an endorsement, she and (a tearful) Maya Rudolph ended the episode with a heartfelt moment (“I’m gonna vote for us”) before closing with the iconic “Live from New York, it’s Saturday Night!”
Though one could say its commentary is somewhat factual, if slanted, SNL does not always accurately reflect or impact the opinions of the public. The sketches poke fun at the candidates, but this time, Donald Trump got the last laugh. Despite the unfavorable exaggerations (and accurate portrayals) of his personality, Trump won both the electoral college and the popular vote (the a Republican candidate has done so since 2004) on Election Day. While SNL focused on personalities, Americans this election cycle seemed to be overwhelmingly focused on policies, especially when it came to their . This truth suggests that SNL’s political sketches serve as no more than entertaining late night television and not meaningful political commentary that alters the opinions of the public. SNL revealed to their viewers the world as they saw it, and the majority of Americans showed up to the polls to disagree.
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of 老司机传媒. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, 老司机传媒 or the Seventh-day Adventist church.