Current:Home > NewsWill Steve Martin play Tim Walz on 'Saturday Night Live'? Comedian reveals his answer -SecureWealth Vault
Will Steve Martin play Tim Walz on 'Saturday Night Live'? Comedian reveals his answer
View
Date:2025-04-14 21:26:35
Everyone wants Steve Martin to play Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on "Saturday Night Live" — everyone, it turns out, other than Steve Martin.
The "Only Murders in the Building" star, 78, revealed to the Los Angeles Times he has turned down an offer to play Vice President Kamala Harris' 2024 running mate on "SNL" this fall.
Martin said "SNL" creator Lorne Michaels called him on Wednesday to offer him the role, but he declined.
"I wanted to say no and, by the way, he wanted me to say no," Martin told the Times. "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."
Join our Watch Party!Sign up to receive USA TODAY's movie and TV recommendations right in your inbox
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
Martin, who has hosted "SNL" 16 times going back to 1976, also said he wasn't prepared to make the commitment required for the role.
"They're gonna find somebody really, really good," he told the Times. "I'd be struggling."
Martin previously joked about the calls for him to play Walz on Threads, writing, "I just learned that Tim Walz wants to go on the road with Marty Short."
Harris on Tuesday officially named Walz her running mate in the 2024 presidential election, prompting "SNL" fans to debate who should play him on the show this fall. "SNL" typically spoofs the vice presidential debate during each election cycle, which this year would be between Walz and Sen. JD Vance. No casting for Vance has been announced.
'Only Murders' fans:Steve Martin's full life on display in Apple TV+ doc 'Steve!'
Maya Rudolph, though, is set to reprise her role as Harris on "SNL" through the presidential election.
With Martin out of the mix, other names that have been floated for the "SNL" Walz role include comedian Jim Gaffigan and "Parks and Recreation" star Jim O'Heir. On Tuesday, O'Heir reacted to being included in a CNN segment on candidates for the role alongside Martin, Gaffigan and former Sen. Al Franken.
'The Steve-ness of it all':Steve Martin talks tour with Martin Short, new audiobook
"I don't mind being in the mix but that's the best pic of me that they could come up with?" O'Heir joked.
Other fans have urged "SNL" to choose a member of its cast to play Walz. For the 2020 election, Jim Carrey, who was not a regular "SNL" cast member, stepped in to play Joe Biden.
"Call me crazy but I think one of the 'SNL' cast members should play Tim Walz," comedian Paul Scheer wrote on X.
"SNL" is set to return in September for its landmark 50th season. Cast members Punkie Johnson and Molly Kearney recently announced their exits from the show.
veryGood! (9345)
Related
- What to watch: O Jolie night
- Inflation cools again ahead of the Federal Reserve's final interest rate decision in 2023
- Wildfires can release the toxic, cancer-causing 'Erin Brockovich' chemical, study says
- US to spend $700M on new embassy in Ireland, breaks ground on new embassy in Saudi Arabia
- 'We're reborn!' Gazans express joy at returning home to north
- Her 10-year-old son died in a tornado in Tennessee. Her family's received so many clothing donations, she wants them to go others in need.
- 13 cold, stunned sea turtles from New England given holiday names as they rehab in Florida
- Universities of Wisconsin regents to vote again on GOP deal to cut diversity spots for cash
- DeepSeek: Did a little known Chinese startup cause a 'Sputnik moment' for AI?
- Black man choked and shocked by police died because of drugs, officers’ lawyers argue at trial
Ranking
- Sonya Massey's father decries possible release of former deputy charged with her death
- Guy Fieri talks Super Bowl party, his son's 'quick engagement' and Bobby Flay's texts
- A Chicago train operator knew snow equipment was on the line but braked immediately, review finds
- Norfolk, Virginia, approves military-themed brewery despite some community pushback
- Selena Gomez engaged to Benny Blanco after 1 year together: 'Forever begins now'
- Brooklyn Nine-Nine Actor Andre Braugher Dead at 61
- Crews work to contain gas pipeline spill in Washington state
- Most populous New Mexico county resumes sheriff’s helicopter operations, months after deadly crash
Recommendation
Former longtime South Carolina congressman John Spratt dies at 82
'Vanderpump Rules' Season 11: Premiere date, trailer, cast, how to watch new season
Tunisia opposition figure Issa denounces military prosecution as creating fear about civil freedoms
New, stronger climate proposal released at COP28, but doesn’t quite call for fossil fuel phase-out
The Louvre will be renovated and the 'Mona Lisa' will have her own room
Five whales came to a Connecticut aquarium in 2021. Three have now died
Donald Trump’s lawyers again ask for early verdict in civil fraud trial, judge says ‘no way’
Judge rejects delay of ruling backing North Dakota tribes’ effort to change legislative boundaries