These ‘SNL’ Impressions Stole the Show During Kamala Harris ‘Family Feud’ Cold Open

The Saturday Night Live cold open was loaded with political impressions this week, but a few stood out as fan favorites. The sketch itself was a Family Feud parody, with Kamala Harris (May Rudolph) and Donald Trump (James Austin Johnson) each fielding teams for the debate substitute. Team Trump was the former POTUS, his running mate JD Vance (Bowen Yang), Donald Trump Jr. (Mikey Day) and a noticeably absent Melania Trump. Team Harris consisted of the VP, her running mate Tim Walz (Jim Gaffigan), Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff (Andy Samberg) and President Joe Biden (Dana Carvey).

Looking through reactions on social media, many of the SNL faithful are beyond excited to see Carvey back on the NBC sketch comedy series. The Wayne’s World legend was a cast member from 1986 to 1993, notably playing then-POTUS George H. W. Bush and presidential candidate Ross Perot. Seeing him back in a different political role has been a joy for sketch comedy fans, with many praising his clueless spin on Biden.

One Instagram commenter wrote, “Can we talk about how Dana Carvey fully morphs into whoever he’s playing every single time. On TikTok, comments included, “dana carvey’s impression is so great,” “dana’s delivery is so on point,” and “They all nailed them! Dana Carvey as Joe! Brilliant! Lolol!”

YouTube commenters wrote, “I still think Dana Carvey is the best Biden AND best presidential impersonator in SNL history” and “Dana Carvey as Biden was by far the best.”

Johnson’s take on Trump, as well as Gaffigan’s take on Walz also drew praise.

On Walz, feedback included, “jim gaffigan as tim walz was so perfect omg,” “You can’t tell me that wasn’t Tim walz…..” “I legitimately thought they brought Walz in for a cameo”

As for Johnson’s Trump, which as been a staple of the show in recent years, one fan said, “James Austin Johnson, I believe, does the best impression of Trump I’ve ever seen. Every nuance is there. Love it.” Others wrote, “James Austin Johnson does the perfect Trump ‘weave.’ Amazing,” “The way he nails Trump and how he talks without ever completing a sentence is spot on!” and “Yooooooo he nailed Trump! Even the rant!” One top Instagram comment went as far as to declare that Johnson’s Trump was “the greatest impression of anyone in SNL history.”

Saturday Night Live Season 50 episodes are now streaming on Peacock, with individual segments also available on YouTube. New episodes air weekly at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBC. The next new episode will feature host Michael Keaton and musical guest Billie Eilish. While Johnson is a full-time cast member on SNL, it’s unclear if Carvey and Gaffigan will appear again. However, they, Rudolph and Andy Samberg have been prominent parts of SNL Season 50 so far.