One of the most intriguing political questions of our times has finally been answered: Jim Gaffigan is playing Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on “Saturday Night Live.”
The big reveal came during the 13-minute cold opening of the show’s 50th-season premiere, a sketch which peeked in on rallies for the Kamala Harris and Donald Trump campaigns.
“I haven’t been this excited since I got a 10-percent rebate on a leaf blower from Menards,” Gaffigan said in his role as Harris’ running mate.
He also made a reference to our state.
“In Minnesota, we have a saying: ‘Mind your own damn business,’” he said. “We also have another saying in Minnesota: ‘My nuts froze to the park bench.’”
Gaffigan, one of the country’s most popular stand-up comedians, is no stranger to our region. He has performed several times at the Minnesota State Fair. In 2021, he taped a Netflix special at the State Theatre in Minneapolis.
But he most likely got the role for his similarity in physical appearance to the vice presidential candidate and a flat, Midwest delivery influenced by his Indiana upbringing.
The sketch featured a lot of big names. Maya Rudolph played Harris. Andy Samberg popped by to play Doug Emhoff, and Dana Carvey wandered in as a scatterbrained President Joe Biden.
