"Saturday Night Live" kicked off its 50th season with a cold open featuring comedian Jim Gaffigan as Democratic vice presidential nominee Gov. Tim Walz.

During Tuesday’s vice presidential debate, Sen. JD Vance’s answer to a question about whether he would attempt to challenge the 2024 election results, even if every state governor certified them, led to one of the night’s more memorable exchanges.

Acting overly excitable in a suit from Costco, comedian Jim Gaffigan poked fun at Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s Midwestern-dad sensibilities on the season premiere of NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” last month.

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.

The casting ended months of speculation after President Biden, played on Saturday by Dana Carvey, withdrew from the race. James Austin Johnson continued as Donald Trump.

Things to know about Minnesota according to Saturday Night Live: It’s cold, and we take the Menards rebate seriously.

Many of you correctly predicted that Jim Gaffigan would play Tim Walz during "SNL" this weekend! Photo: Will Heath/NBC via

Region native Jim Gaffigan landed a high-profile role of spoofing Vice Presidential Nominee Tim Walz on Saturday Night Life.

Tim Walz (Jim Gaffigan) made his SNL debut last night as he joined Kamala Harris (Maya Rudolph) on the campaign trail of Studio 8H. “I got that BDE: Big Daddy Energy,” Gaffigan exclaimed as he prepared for a season of impressions and reminded us of Walz’s roots.