In a surprising move ahead of the presidential election on November 5, Vice President Kamala Harris made an unexpected appearance on Saturday Night Live (SNL) during the show’s November 2 episode. Harris traveled to New York City after hosting a rally in North Carolina, where she shared the spotlight with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, who also held a rally in the key battleground state.
Harris took center stage in the SNL cold open, titled “2024 Pre-Election Cold Open,” which humorously recapped some of the most talked-about moments from the campaign trail in recent days. The skit featured Maya Rudolph reprising her popular impersonation of Harris, while James Austin Johnson donned a garbage vest to parody Trump.
The sketch opened with Rudolph’s Harris character sitting at a vanity table, lamenting the challenges of being a Black, South Asian woman running for president, and wishing for guidance from someone with similar experiences. The camera then panned to reveal Harris herself sitting across from her on the set, eliciting enthusiastic applause from the live audience. In a light-hearted moment, Harris reassured Rudolph, saying, “You got this,” and emphasized her ability to “open doors”—a clever nod to a recent viral clip showing Trump struggling to open a garbage truck door.
The two characters then engaged in a playful rhyme-style pep talk, with Rudolph saying, “Now Kamala, take my palm-ala,” before they rallied together with the mantra that America should “keep Kamala and carry on-a-la.” The comedic exchange culminated with Rudolph declaring her intent to vote for Harris in the upcoming election and delivering SNL’s iconic closing line: “And live from New York, it’s Saturday night.”
Although Harris has never hosted or appeared as a guest on SNL before, she previously praised Rudolph’s portrayal of her during an October appearance on The View, commending the actress for her talent.
In contrast, Trump has a history with SNL, having hosted the show twice—once in 2004 and again in 2015 while running for president. However, he did not appear on SNL this season or since leaving office.
Harris’s surprise cameo is seen as a strategic effort to energize her base and reach a broader audience just days before the election, underscoring the competitive nature of the race as both candidates work to secure crucial support in the lead-up to November 5.
