S.N.L. has had its share of Donald Trump impersonators over the years: Phil Hartman, __ Darrell Hammond__, Taran Killam, and, of course, Trump himself. But with Killam gone, and Hammond really just supposed to be on board as announcer, it looks as if S.N.L. has decided to level up for the last few months of the election season. According to a new promo, 16-time host Alec Baldwin will get to wear the orange wig and pout to square off against Kate McKinnon’s beloved Hillary Clinton impression—certainly in this season’s premiere, and possibly going forward.
After the show scored such a success with Larry David occasionally popping up to play Bernie Sanders last season, this decision shouldn’t come as too much of a shock. And it’s possible that while Baldwin will play Trump in this initial debate sketch, Hammond will still get to have a moment trotting out his long-running Bill Clinton impression. If Hillary wins the election, both Hammond and McKinnon will potentially have a lot of screen time in the next four years.
The bigger question facing S.N.L. this season is who will play Barack Obama. With Jay Pharoah off the show, the position is vacant—and while the president may sit the debate sketch out, the show can’t ignore him for the entire last four months of his term. S.N.L. didn’t hire any new male cast members of color this year, and there aren’t any obvious choices waiting to fill Pharoah’s increasingly gray Obama wig. S.N.L. veteran player Kenan Thompson lacks the build and “Weekend Update” co-host Michael Che hasn’t exactly shown a knack for impressions. Will they outsource this role as well, and tap Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson or Jordan Peele to guest star alongside Baldwin’s Trump?
That answer may not come this Saturday, during the Margot Robbie–hosted premiere—when all thoughts will be on Clinton and Trump. The election even crept into Robbie’s promo, which, in a departure from tradition, lacked the usual “Hi, my name is _____, and I’m hosting Saturday Night Live with musical guest _______” lines. It did, however, feature a girl dance party: a favorite gimmick of new head writers Chris Kelly and Sarah Schneider.
It’s been a big day of news for S.N.L., which also announced Wednesday that Lin-Manuel Miranda and Emily Blunt will host episodes of the show in October. Fingers crossed that their fictional debates will be as much of a ratings bonanza for the flagging late-night staple as the real debates were.
