“Saturday Night Live” (“SNL”) kicked off its 50th season last weekend with a chilling opening skit filled with political impersonation. The one that received the most praise online was “SNL” alum Dana Carvey's portrayal of President Biden.
NBC's flagship show has poked fun at the commander-in-chief since its early days, with a slew of comedians embodying the nation's leaders to entertain viewers.
Here are some notable points.
Dana Carvey: Biden, Bush 41
Carvey won an Emmy Award as a cast member of the show from 1986 to 1993. surprised audience On Saturday, he meandered onto the stage as Biden, with “SNL” alum Maya Rudolph playing Vice President Harris.
In the skit, when Harris was thanked for halting her re-election campaign to become the top Democratic presidential candidate, Carvey's Biden replied, “I didn't want to do that. I made him do that!'' he declared. Before ending with “By the way, what do you think the facts of the matter are…”
Maya Rudolph (left) as Vice President Harris and Dana Carvey as President Biden perform during a cold open sketch on “Saturday Night Live” in New York, Sept. 28, 2024. (Will Heath, NBC, via AP)
During a mini-episode of the comedy podcast “Fly on the Wall with Dana Carvey and David Spade,” Mr. Carvey's explanation How his Biden turn went over the weekend.
“It's top secret. We've kept it a secret for weeks,” he says excitedly, adding that SNL head Lorne Michaels will take on the role himself after Carvey previously played “a ridiculously weird role.” I pointed out that I had asked him to do so. “Biden’s views were laid out in podcasts and YouTube clips.
“I couldn't get enough of Biden's impression,” he said. “Many good Trumps…Biden is trickier.”
However, Carvey's remarks about Biden were not his first impersonation of a notable president. He is famous for his creepy portrayals of President George HW Bush in the 1980s and '90s. The two even became unlikely friends, according to CBS Evening News highlighted in the report After Bush's death.
Will Ferrell: George W. Bush
The goofy, wildly popular production starring comedian Will Ferrell as President George W. Bush got its start on SNL but eventually made its way to Broadway in a limited run. ”Welcome to America. Last night with George W. Bush” was also made into an HBO special.
Will Ferrell arrives at the Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special at Rockefeller Plaza on February 15, 2015 in New York. (Evan Agostini, Invision via AP)
Ferrell played the role regularly on SNL during President Bush's two terms in the 2000s. he regained the impression What happened on the scene with the former president's daughter Jenna Bush Hager, who appeared on the “Today” show in 2022.
Darrell Hammond: Bill Clinton
Several comedians have played President Clinton over the years, including a notable take by the late Phil Hartman, but Darrell Hammond said: play a role for the longest time “SNL,” including the Monica Lewinsky scandal and its aftermath, is known as a peak-time sketch comedy show.
President Clinton (left) laughs with “Saturday Night Live” lookalike Darrell Hammond at the Radio and Television Correspondents Association's 53rd Annual Dinner in Washington, April 10, 1997. (Wilfried Lee, Associated Press)
In a 2015 interview with Time magazine, Hammond said: explained the development He recreated Clinton's thick impression on the comedy stage, including his characteristic thumb-up and lip-biting combo.
Alec Baldwin: Donald Trump
Alec Baldwin, actor and frequent host of “SNL” regular role of He impersonated President Trump during the 2016 campaign and throughout Trump's time in the White House. Baldwin won an Emmy for the role in 2017 and received two other nominations, but President Trump wasn't necessarily a fan.
Actor Alec poses in the press room after accepting the award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series “Saturday Night Live” at the 69th Primetime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles on September 17, 2017. Baldwin (Jordan Strauss, Invision via AP Files)
The two sides, as the platform was known at the time, had a long-simmering feud on Twitter, with Trump often criticizing its “terrible” impersonations.
Baldwin said he no longer enjoyed playing Trump and found the act painful.
“Now every time I do it, it's like agony. I'm in agony. I can't,” he said in 2018.
Chevy Chase: Gerald Ford
On a rainy day in 1975, President Ford fell down the stairs of Air Force One and handed a gift to the then-fledgling SNL, with comedian Chevy Chase clumsily playing the “mastermind.”
Chase ran with the role, or stumbled accordinglywhile fiddling with your mobile phone. resolute deskknocked over American flags and Christmas trees, and dropped countless “important” documents.
Ronald Nessen laughs as comedian Chevy Chase, wearing football headgear, impersonates President Ford during rehearsals for Saturday's screening of “SNL” in New York on April 16, 1976. put out. (Related news organizations)
This description was not flattering, but Ford, who had taken control of the country in the shadow of Watergate, reportedly accepted it.
Michaels is a longtime producer on SNL. told the New York Times A 2006 article said that Ford's attitude toward this portrayal ultimately suggested that it was OK to have some fun when satirizing the nation's commander-in-chief.
