You won’t see Steve Martin impersonate Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz when “Saturday Night Live” returns in the fall.
The 78-year-old actor and comedian said producer Lorne Michaels called and offered him the gig, but Martin declined.
“I wanted to say no and, by the way, he wanted me to say no,” Martin told the Los Angeles 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.”
After Vice President Kamala Harris announced the 60-year-old Minnesota governor as her running mate, social media users pegged Martin as the perfect fit.
“This SNL season is gonna be wild,” one user wrote on X. “They definitely should get Steve Martin [to] play Tim Walz.”
“I would like to officially launch my campaign for Steve Martin to play @GovTimWalz on SNL. Because 1- he’s perfect for it, and 2- we all need the Maya/Steve team to make us happy! I made a collage to strengthen my platform,” another posted.
One social media user said Martin would be the “perfect host” for the premiere of the show’s 50th season and it would be a good opportunity for the actor to promote the upcoming season of Hulu’s “Only Murders in the Building.”
“I imagine a Tim Walz Father of the Bride Sketch with costar [Martin’ Short. @nbcsnl,” the user wrote.
Martin told the Times that he believed if he were to accept the role, he would be “struggling.”
“It’s ongoing,” he said. “It’s not like you do it once and get applause and never do it again. Again, they need a real impressionist to do that. They’re gonna find somebody really, really good.”
Maya Rudolph is set to reprise her role as Harris when the NBC late-night comedy show premieres its new season Sept. 28, Deadline reported.
