Posted in: NBC, TV | Tagged: saturday night live, snl

SNL: Bowen Yang REALLY Wants Lorne Michaels to Find a New JD Vance

SNL star Bowen Yang on his VP JD Vance impression and wanting Lorne Michaels to find another actor: "Please reach out to Zach Galifianakis."

Playing political figures is a rite of passage in Saturday Night Live, and it's something writer/cast member Bowen Yang is abundantly aware of, playing Vice President J.D. Vance. Maybe it's doubt or wear, but the Wicked star appeared on The Daily Show about what he discussed with SNL creator Lorne Michaels about suggestions on who he feels can replace him in the role.

SNL: Bowen Yang Wants Lorne Michaels to "Buyback" J.D. Vance Role for Someone Else

"Lorne asked me, and I said, 'Please, please, please don't make me do this,'" Yang told host Desi Lydic before admitting,g "First of all — God's honest truth, I really do my best with him, but every time I have to play him, I go to Lorne and I say, 'You can do a buyback,' You don't have to stick with me. Please reach out to Zach Galifianakis. Please reach out to Taran Killam.' But, no, that's my charge."

Yang broke down how dedicated he became to the role, which included getting his Ohioan accent and donning his signature beard. "I worked with — you guys are going to roll your fucking eyes," he told Lydic and the audience. "I worked with an accent coach. We had to find the middle between Appalachian and Ohio. Like, we really had to find the right [voice]. And I was like, 'I don't want to screw this up.'"

The actor, who made his debut as Vance in the season 50 premiere, is also self-aware that, unlike many of his peers, he doesn't look like the figure he's lampooning. "I have such an uphill battle here," Yang said. "Everyone in America is going to be like, 'This Asian guy is playing that guy?' I was like, 'I really got to nail this down.' And I'm just telling you guys, I'm doing my best, okay?"

It's atypical for SNL to tap into guest performers at times to play certain figures, like how several cast members and guests played President Donald Trump, including Phil Hartman, Darrell Hammond, Alec Baldwin, and current cast member James Austin Johnson. Alum Maya Rudolph reprised her role as former Vice President Kamala Harris, who was elevated to 2024 Democratic presidential frontrunner. In the current season, alum Mike Myers returned to play Tesla CEO and Trump ally Elon Musk.

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