‘SNL’ Star Bowen Yang Says He’s Begged Lorne Michaels to Replace Him as JD Vance: ‘Please Reach Out to Zach Galifianakis’

https://variety.com/2025/tv/news/bowen-yang-lorne-michaels-jd-vance-saturday-night-live-1236368115/

20 comments

  1. >“Lorne asked me [to play JD Vance] and, I said, ‘Please, please, please don’t make me do this,’” Yang told “Daily Show” pundit Desi Lydic. “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.’”

    >The “Wicked” actor continued, “Please reach out to Zach Galifianakis. Please reach out to Taran Killam. But no, that’s my charge.”

    >Part of the reason why it is so “challenging” to play Vance, according to Yang, is his very specific midwest accent. Yang said he worked with an accent coach to help him nail down the Ohio-state twang.

    >“You know what, I worked with an accent coach,” Yang said. “We had to find the middle between Appalachian and Ohio. We really had to find the right [voice]. I was like, ‘I don’t want to screw this up.’”

  4. Bowen specifically playing JD is what makes it so funny. Sure Zach or Taran would do a good job, but it being Bowen — a queer, metrosexual Asian guy — is what makes the bit so funny. At least to me.

  5. I like his portrayal, though I wouldn’t complain if they could get Haley Joel Osment.

  6. I’m not really a fan of Bowen yang but I love thinking about how angry JD Vance must be that that a queer POC is portraying him.

  7. Why does Bowen hate doing it so much? It seems like a pretty standard SNL role

  8. Bowen Yang seems to complain a lot about doing his job.

  9. There’s a sketch waiting to happen; Bowen making calls in his JD Vance costume begging people to take over the role.

  10. Shit, this is really tough.

    On the one hand, it seems like Bowen really doesn’t like it, and I don’t believe in making people suffer for their art.

    On the *other* hand, a gay POC losing their job to a white man would give JD the strongest erection he’s had in his lifetime.

    Truly, there is no good option here.

  11. Well, I have to agree with him. Anybody else would be funnier I think.

  12. It’s too bad that Tim Heidecker hates SNL because he’d be perfect.

  15. I think this was said elsewhere, but I think the bit should be they just keep getting folks who look increasingly *less* like him.

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