SNL reportedly tried to hire this controversial comedian to play Trump in season 50

Heading into the 50th season of Saturday Night Live, we knew that politics would play a major role in the milestone season and that has indeed been the case. Politics have always been a key point of inspiration for SNL with some of the biggest names in the show’s history taking on the roles of iconic politicians with the show pulling from the headlines for many of its cold opens – especially during election years. 

The biggest question heading into season 50 was not whether the show would incorporate sketches of the election, but who exactly would be tapped to play the candidates running for election. 

Maya Rudolph and James Austin Johnson were ultimately tapped to play Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, respectively, but it seems NBC’s long-running series had someone very different in mind to play Trump this season on Saturday Night Live. 

SNL wanted fired star Shane Gillis to play Donald Trump in season 50

During an appearance at the Skankfest comedy festival in Las Vegas on Oct. 6, former Saturday Night Live cast member Shane Gillis revealed that the NBC series offered the role of Trump to him but he ultimately passed on the offer. 

“I wouldn’t miss Coke Magic. They asked, they said, ‘Are you serious? You’re going to say no?’ And I said, ‘Lorne [Michaels], I gotta go to Coke Magic,'” Gillis commented after podcast host Luis J. Gomez told the crowd that Gillis wasn’t expected to make it to the festival after he “was offered to play Trump on the entire season of SNL.” 

NBC has not commented on the report, but it certainly wouldn’t be a surprise if they did extend an invitation to have him come back. After all, they did tap him to host in season 49 just a few short years after he had been fired from the show for his history of making racist and homophobic comments. 

During his season 49 hosting debut, Gillis also got the chance to show off his Trump impersonation skills when he portrayed a version of Trump in a pretaped sketch which saw him transform into Trump after being gifted a magical pair of sneakers. Clearly, the writers must have liked what they saw in the sketch enough to extend the offer for Gillis to play Trump in season 50.

It’d have been interesting to see what the reception of the controversial comedian playing the equally controversial politician would have been, but we imagine viewers are likely relieved the role ultimately remained with Johnson who has been playing Trump on the show since 2021.