‘Saturday Night Live’ mocks JD Vance, Tim Walz’s largely civil debate

“Saturday Night Live” jabbed Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s vice presidential debate in its latest episode, mocking the largely civil debate between the two Midwestern leaders.
Saturday’s cold open began with Maya Rudolph, portraying Vice President Kamala Harris, and Andy Samberg, portraying second gentleman Doug Emhoff, cozying up at home on the couch to watch the CBS debate between Bowen Yang’s cheeky Vance and Jim Gaffigan’s affable Walz.
Chloe Fineman and Heidi Gardner, as CBS News anchors Norah O’Donnell as Margaret Brennan, welcomed the “candidates” before Yang began his opening statement:
“I want to begin with something that’ll appeal to women voters. I understand that both the moderators tonight are mothers and,” he laughed, “I like that.”
The joke appeared to reference Vance’s past comments about women who don’t have children, which he’s faced bipartisan criticism over since joining the GOP ticket.
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“Governor Walz, it looks like you’re already scribbling a bunch of notes,” Fineman added “Are you preparing your answers?”
“Nah, I gotta grade these papers,” Gaffigan said, playing on Walz’s tenure as a social studies teacher. “Got a stack of midterms.”
Cutting back to the second couple, Samberg’s Emhoff reassured his wife, saying “Tim will be fine, it’s not like he’s going to say something crazy.”
The camera cut back to Gaffigan telling the audience “I’ve become friends with school shooters,” a reference to a flub Walz made during Tuesday’s debate.
Still, “SNL” didn’t spare either candidate.
“Senator Vance, you called Donald Trump America’s Hitler. Do you regret that?” Gardner asks Yang’s Vance.
In a 2016 message to a friend, Vance wrote that he goes “back and forth” between wondering if Trump was simply a cynical politician or “that he’s America’s Hitler.” However, since entering politics and winning his Senate seat in 2022, Vance has been one of Trump’s most vocal supporters.
“Well look, the context matters. I meant that as a compliment,” the fictional Vance retorted.
Asked about having incorrectly said that he was in Hong Kong during the Tienanmen Square Massacre, the fictional Walz told the audience in one of the sketch’s biggest laugh lines “I think what happened is I went to EPCOT.”
However, Gaffigan and Yang also played up the civility, bordering on cordiality, that was on display Tuesday night between Vance and Walz. In the sketch, the two reached out their hands to each other across the split-screen after discovering the “common ground” they share − wanting to walk back things they’ve said.
“Ok, I’m not sure why you two are connecting, but let’s move on,” says Gardner, perplexed.
“Why are they friends? Why are they vibing?” Rudolph yells after a spit-take of wine.
Former SNL cast member Dana Carvey, who previously played former President George H.W. Bush, appeared again as Joe Biden, tottering into Harris’s living room and sitting down in between the second couple on the couch.
“Walz? What’s wrong with that guy?” Carvey fired off. “He’s crazy, get your facts straight, Jack. You gotta hit ‘em with a little joke. ‘Here’s the deal. Let me be clear.’”
He smashes Rudolph in the face gesticulating with an ice cream cone before pledging to run again in 2028.
SNL will return on October 12 with host Ariana Grande and musical guest Stevie Nicks.