Who will play Tim Walz on SNL? Not Steve Martin

If you’re wondering who will play Tim Walz on Saturday Night Live, it won’t be Steve Martin.

Martin revealed to the Los Angeles Times he was offered the role by longtime SNL producer Lorne Michaels to play Walz alongside Maya Rudolph’s Kamala Harris, but turned it down.

“I wanted to say no and, by the way, he wanted me to say no,” Martin said. “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.”

At 79, Martin is nearly 20 years older than Walz, who turned 60 in April. Only Murders in the Building star also wasn’t ready for the commitment of portraying a politician on SNL.

“It’s ongoing,” Martin said. “It’s not like you do it once and get applause and never do it again.”

Rudolph, an SNL cast member from 2000 to 2007, portrayed Harris throughout the 2020 election and when she hosted the show in 2021. As a result of her SNL commitment, preproduction of the third season of her Apple TV+ comedy series Loot has been paused, according to Deadline.

Former president Donald Trump will continue to be portrayed by James Austin Johnson, who joined the cast in 2021. It’s unclear who will play Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance (R., Ohio).

SNL will premiere it’s 50th season on Sept. 28. While most of the current cast is slated to return, at least two cast members — Punkie Johnson and Molly Kearney — have announced they won’t be back.

Only Murders in the Building’s fourth season will debut on Hulu on Aug. 27.