'SNL' head insists there'll be no Trump or Harris cameos this season, cites 'equal time provisions'
"Saturday Night Live" creator and executive producer Lorne Michaels admitted he has not reached out and will not reach out to the presidential candidates for a potential cameo ahead of the election.
In an interview with the Hollywood Reporter Tuesday, Michaels explained it would be unlikely for former President Trump or Vice President Kamala Harris to appear for the show’s milestone 50th anniversary season, citing the need for "equal time" to both of them.
"You can’t bring the actual people who are running on because of election laws and the equal time provisions," Michaels said. "You can’t have the main candidates without having all the candidates, and there are lots of minor candidates that are only on the ballot in, like, three states and that becomes really complicated."
However, he did not rule out a potential appearance from either of them after the election, when they would no longer be presidential candidates.
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"Everybody knows what we do, and I think we’re going to do it again. It’s what we’re supposed to be doing," Michaels said. "So, what’s interesting is if you say to the people that we just did that to, ‘Do you want to come on because we have a way to do it with you in it?’ They almost always say yes."
The Federal Communications Commission’s "equal-time rule" was established in 1934 and required radio and television broadcast stations to provide the same amount of time for competing political candidates. There are exceptions to the rule such as newscasts, documentaries and political debates.
Despite the equal-time rule, "Saturday Night Live" has allowed political candidates onto its show without providing equal time to their opponents in the past. Then-Senator Obama appeared in the cold opening of a November 2007 episode several months after announcing his candidacy that year.
Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin also appeared in an episode in October 2008, one month before the 2008 presidential election.
Trump himself hosted an episode in November 2015, months after launching his first presidential campaign.
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Fox News Digital reached out to NBC for a comment.
Although the candidates themselves are unlikely to appear, former cast member Maya Rudolph and current cast member James Austin Johnson have played Harris and Trump respectively.
Comedian Jim Gaffigan and cast member Bowen Yang have also been tapped to play Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Ohio Sen. JD Vance respectively.