Jim Gaffigan Has No Regrets About No Longer Playing Tim Walz On 'SNL'
All good things must come to an end.
That’s how comedian Jim Gaffigan feels about his gig playing Minnesota governor and Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz on “Saturday Night Live.”
Alongside Maya Rudolph’s Kamala Harris, Gaffigan played Walz on the show for the first five episodes leading up to this year’s election, but he told The Hollywood Reporter that it was never intended to become a full-time gig.
“It wasn’t the expectation that Maya [Rudolph] and I were gonna continue on the entire time,” Gaffigan said.
Although doing the show required him to cancel some concert dates, he was happy to do so, speaking favorably of the opportunity to be on “SNL” and portray Walz.
“It was such a cool thing, so I don’t necessarily feel bad,” Gaffigan told THR. “I feel more gratitude that I had the opportunity and to, like, swim in that pool with all those talented people. You can’t consider modern American comedy and not include ′SNL’ in the discourse. And it’s such a unique show, the way it’s produced, so there is something really fun but also awe inspiring about it.”
However, there was one thing he hoped would happen while he was on the show.
On an episode of Dana Carvey and David Spade’s “Superfly” podcast released Nov. 8, Gaffigan said, “I was like, ‘Oh, hopefully Tim Walz will also do something like, to get some news.’ I don’t want him to humiliate himself. He’ll, you know, be in some [sketches], but they’re competing for attention.”
“And even when he would — I think in a different time, him even playing Fortnite with AOC, that would be newsworthy, but we live in such chaotic times,” he added.