- 1 week ago
Nailing a tough impression on SNL takes razor-sharp observation and fearless commitment. From Tina Fey’s breakout Sarah Palin to Kate McKinnon’s nuanced Hillary Clinton, watch as iconic cast members transform into some of the trickiest celebrities ever parodied. These unforgettable performances blend vocal precision, mannerisms, and unexpected charm that made each impression a masterclass in comedy and mimicry.
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00:00If you like screaming, make it music.
00:03If you like clouds, make them your friends.
00:05Welcome to Ms. Mojo.
00:07And today, we're counting down our picks for the most ambitious celebrity parodies
00:11that Saturday Night Live performers somehow made look effortless.
00:15His words are smooth.
00:17When he's talking, it's like an angel whispering in your ear.
00:21Number 30.
00:23Bowen Yang as George Santos.
00:25Some political impressions demand a voice match.
00:28This one had to keep pace with headlines that already sounded like punchlines.
00:32I'm sort of the real Bo Jackson.
00:35And I'm proud to be the first African-American quarterback to ever dunk a football.
00:41The character burst into 2023's first episode through an NFL post-game parody,
00:47inventing impossible football feats before reappearing in drag as Katara Ravish.
00:52Rather than merely mimic Santos,
00:54Yang built the character around relentless self-aggrandizement and ever-escalating lies.
00:59Since the day I was elected, it's been a witch hunt.
01:02But if I'm guilty of anything, it's for loving too much slash fraud.
01:08After the House expelled Santos that December,
01:11Yang gave him a mock farewell at a piano with Scandal in the Wind,
01:15riffing on Elton John's Candle in the Wind.
01:17That combination of mimicry, escalation, and sheer commitment makes Yang's precision even more impressive.
01:24And it seems to me, I lived my life like a scandal in the wind.
01:30Never knowing who to cling to when the law closed in.
01:37Number 29.
01:38Bobby Moynihan as Guy Fieri.
01:40Capturing this much personality without tipping into a totally unrecognizable caricature takes serious control.
01:47And 32 tablespoons of tequila-infused garlic butter.
01:52That sounds kind of heavy.
01:55Don't knock it till you fry it, Seth.
01:57I'm roughing up your stuffing.
02:00Moynihan's version leaned into frosted tips, catchphrases, recognizable vocal patterns,
02:06and absurd food enthusiasm, stretching every familiar trait without making the character generic.
02:13Fieri loved the result, calling Moynihan a, quote,
02:16true artist who could spot nuances and magnify them, quote, to the 50 millionth degree.
02:22All gobbled in full throbble.
02:24Tequila-infused garlic butter, then deep-fried in Jägermeister.
02:30Yum.
02:31Moynihan later appeared on Guy's Ultimate Game Night,
02:34where he surprised everyone by reviving his Fieri impression.
02:37Back at SNL, the character became substantial enough to lead 2013's Guy Fieri's full-throttle Christmas special.
02:45What's that by the fire?
02:47A stocking stuffed with 20-layer bean dip and a crumbled Teddy Graham crust!
02:52Still practicing that one celebrity voice in the mirror?
02:55Give your vocal cords a break and scan the QR code on screen
02:58to join Ms. Mojo's 24-7 livestream for non-stop pop culture fun.
03:03It's all like Donkey Kong!
03:05Number 28.
03:06Abby Elliott as Zooey Deschanel.
03:08A good celebrity impression gets considerably scarier when its subject is sitting just feet away.
03:14So Mary Kate, where do you get your quirky inspiration?
03:18That's actually my next tip, Zooey.
03:21You can draw inspiration from past generations.
03:24Right?
03:25Being quirky amplified Deschanel's recognizable vintage-loving,
03:29ukulele-playing image into a faux talk show packed with yarn crafts
03:33and exaggerated versions of similarly offbeat celebrities.
03:37Elliott had already performed the character before Deschanel hosted SNL in February 2012,
03:42when the actress joined the sketch as Mary Kate Olsen opposite Elliott's version of herself.
03:47I made a brand new vintage sweater.
03:51I made a cozy for my coffee that I can also use as a sleeping bag.
03:59I made a sweater for an octopus.
04:02Asked later whether doing an impression directly in front of its subject was difficult,
04:06Elliott admitted,
04:07yeah, it is.
04:09Maintaining that exaggerated characterization with Deschanel right there
04:13made an already specific impersonation even more impressive.
04:16I like to flip-flop human and pet names.
04:20That's why my gerbil's name is Steve and my son's name will be Fluffy.
04:24The gerbil.
04:26Number 27.
04:27Sherry Oteri as Barbara Walters.
04:29Taking on a target already immortalized by Gilda Radner
04:32meant finding a fresh angle rather than recycling Baba Wawa.
04:36And aren't you happy that all of America loves saying,
04:39show me the money?
04:41Well, I don't know about that,
04:43but I'm happy, you know, to be moving on to other projects.
04:45Oh, did you ask your agent then to show you the money?
04:49Oteri has admitted she, quote,
04:51did not do impressions.
04:52So when Lorne Michaels pushed her toward Walters,
04:55she started studying the broadcaster, quote,
04:57all over again.
04:58Her approach went beyond vocal mimicry.
05:01She identified Walters' interview rhythm as three compliments,
05:04followed by going, quote,
05:06in for the kill.
05:07George, you're so young,
05:09yet you've already enjoyed much success in your life.
05:11Now, what would you say is my greatest achievement?
05:14The work paid off.
05:16Walters became the character Oteri played more than any other
05:19during her five SNL seasons.
05:21In 2014, she even performed the character opposite the real Walters,
05:26who interviewed her lookalike on The View.
05:28Did you have any idea that it would turn into the juggernaut success
05:33that it would become?
05:34Yes, I did.
05:35And I take complete credit.
05:37Number 26, Jimmy Fallon as Barry Gibb.
05:41Switching from clipped speech to a piercing falsetto
05:44while selling sudden explosions of rage
05:47made this recurring bit a vocal workout.
05:50Why does the Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger proud choice
05:52proud gun control, proud gun rights,
05:55run the mean to the right wing of the Republican party?
05:58Fallon debuted the Barry Gibb talk show as Barry Gibb
06:01alongside Justin Timberlake's Robin Gibb in 2003,
06:04with its theme parodying the Bee Gees' Nights on Broadway.
06:07The comic engine was the contrast between the explosive titular host
06:11and Timberlake's nearly silent co-host,
06:14making every burst of anger land harder.
06:17Robin, talk to your brother.
06:18No.
06:19Talk to Barry.
06:22Please talk to your brother
06:25and say what you want to say.
06:29The strongest endorsement came from Barry Gibb himself,
06:32who eventually appeared in the sketch in 2013.
06:36He later called Fallon, quote,
06:38probably the most gifted man I've ever seen on TV,
06:41and said watching him was, quote,
06:42like talking to yourself.
06:55Number 25, Dana Carvey as Ross Perot.
06:59The politician offered plenty of recognizable mannerisms,
07:02but turning them into a repeatable comic character
07:05still demanded precision.
07:07I find it fascinating that so much time and money
07:09is wasted on so many different kinds of shoes.
07:12Now, if every American could wear the same style shoe,
07:15we could save over $18 billion the first year alone.
07:18Carvey focused on Perot's Texas drawl,
07:21impatient delivery, distinctive vocal tone,
07:24and stream-of-consciousness phrasing,
07:26later saying he kept drilling into the, quote,
07:29minutiae and finding new hooks.
07:31His George H.W. Bush was already one of SNL's
07:33most enduring impressions,
07:35and in 1992, Carvey pulled double duty
07:38by playing both Bush and Perot
07:40in the same presidential debate sketch.
07:42Or do you want someone who's cranky,
07:44who says, this better be important,
07:45or do you realize what time it is,
07:47or simply says, shut up,
07:48hangs up the phone,
07:49and sleeps like a baby while the world burns?
07:52That double duty staging turned the impression
07:54into a technical feat,
07:56as well as a vocal one.
07:58Perot himself loved the send-up,
07:59and even invited Carvey to Texas on election night.
08:03There's a congressional election in 1994,
08:05and we are going to get rid of the congressman
08:08who voted for NAFTA.
08:09Do you understand?
08:10Do you have any idea what I'm saying?
08:12My lips are moving,
08:13but you don't hear a damn thing.
08:15Number 24, Chloe Fineman as Drew Barrymore.
08:18Matching this much effusive warmth
08:20without flattening it into a generic,
08:22bubbly voice is a deceptively tricky assignment.
08:25I'm just like you.
08:27A boho, free spirit, mommy, mother, movie star
08:31since I was sick.
08:33SNL's talk show parody zeroed in
08:35on Barrymore's distinctive vocal rhythms
08:37and relentlessly upbeat energy.
08:40Fineman later explained that the team
08:41was careful not to be mean,
08:43but to make fun, quote, in a loving way.
08:46The best woman on earth, girl.
08:49You are literally mom here at She Queen.
08:51I marvel at you.
08:53I love you more than Oprah.
08:54I love you.
08:55I love you so much.
08:55I want to come into your room
08:56and murder you with a butter spoon.
08:58Barrymore clearly appreciated that balance
09:00and invited Fineman onto the Drew Barrymore show.
09:03Fineman has said that when she sees Barrymore,
09:06she can still, quote,
09:07slip into the impression almost automatically.
09:10That combination of precision and affection
09:12makes the mimicry feel instantly recognizable
09:14rather than merely broad.
09:16I was in Brooklyn staying with my friends
09:20and I saw some video and you,
09:21I don't know, I was just fascinated
09:23and I was in the mirror being like, hello.
09:26Number 23, Dan Aykroyd as Julia Child.
09:30Keeping an unmistakable voice intact
09:32while fake blood sprays across a live set
09:35is quite the multitasking exercise.
09:37You can make a lovely liver pate
09:39or perhaps a delicious liverwurst
09:43which you can spread on a cracker,
09:44a Ritz cracker, a saltine.
09:46In 1978's The French Chef,
09:49Aykroyd transformed a real kitchen mishap
09:52involving Child into a spectacularly
09:54grisly cooking demonstration.
09:56He maintains her cheerful instructional manner
09:58despite the fake injury,
10:00attempting increasingly desperate first aid
10:02while refusing to abandon the lesson.
10:04Cut along the backbone to the Pope's nose like so.
10:13The physical chaos only makes his commitment
10:16to the characterization funnier.
10:18Right through the famous plea to
10:20save the liver,
10:21better yet, Child loved the parody so much
10:24that she reportedly kept a recording
10:26near her television and played it for guests.
10:29Why are you all spinning?
10:31Well, I think I'm going to go to sleep now.
10:34Bon appétit.
10:39See you all over here.
10:41Number 22.
10:43Phil Hartman as Frank Sinatra.
10:45Following a predecessor whose take
10:47had already become a signature act
10:49was no small assignment.
10:50You don't know what sense it is, Junior.
10:53Sense it is getting dropped by Columbia
10:55because Mitch Miller doesn't like
10:56the way your career is going.
10:58It's having million dollar pipes
10:59and nowhere to play him, am I right?
11:01Hartman debuted his version in 1990,
11:03years after Joe Piscopo's run,
11:05but pushed the singer in a sharper,
11:07more combative direction.
11:09That approach peaked in 1991's
11:11The Sinatra Group,
11:12where he bulldozes a music industry panel
11:14featuring Jan Hooks' Sinead O'Connor,
11:16Sting's Billy Idol,
11:17and Chris Rock's Luther Campbell.
11:19Bob Goulet, that's not talented.
11:22You, you got talent.
11:24You got a Dionne Warwick,
11:26Philana kind of a thing going.
11:28Hartman kept returning to the role,
11:29ultimately playing Sinatra
11:31in 10 SNL appearances.
11:33The Sinatra family reportedly
11:34disliked his portrayal,
11:36but its unapologetically aggressive edge
11:38gave Hartman a lane entirely his own.
11:41You're all talk, Blondie.
11:42You want a piece of me?
11:43I'm right here.
11:44Don't provoke me, old man.
11:46You don't scare me.
11:47I got chunks of guys like you
11:48in my stool.
11:49Number 21,
11:51Will Ferrell as George W. Bush.
11:53A well-defined caricature
11:55still has to survive
11:56more than one catchphrase.
11:57At this rate,
11:58I might even end up
11:59on Mount Rushmore,
12:01right next to Washington,
12:03Lincoln,
12:03and I want to say,
12:05uh, Kensington.
12:06Ferrell built his version
12:07around narrowed eyes,
12:09a Texas-inflected drawl,
12:10linguistic stumbles,
12:12and a breathy laugh.
12:13A debate sketch gave him,
12:15quote,
12:15strategery,
12:16a fake Bushism
12:17so convincing
12:18that Bush later recalled
12:19insisting to Lorne Michaels
12:20that he had actually said it.
12:22So I will instead
12:23ask each candidate
12:24to sum up in a single word
12:26the best argument
12:27for his candidacy.
12:28Governor Bush?
12:30Strategery.
12:31By 2009,
12:33Ferrell had carried
12:34the character
12:34all the way to Broadway
12:36in You're Welcome, America.
12:37The production
12:38was also broadcast
12:39live by HBO.
12:41Keeping such a heightened
12:42creation recognizable
12:43across sketches,
12:44years,
12:45and a stage show
12:46takes remarkable skill.
12:48Can I be honest with you?
12:49I'm addicted to talking
12:50that way.
12:55It's fun.
12:56Yeah.
12:57You'll probably be doing it
12:58on the car ride home.
12:59Number 20,
13:01Taron Killam
13:01as Brad Pitt.
13:03Plans disappear
13:04and dreams take over.
13:06And then dreams
13:07wake up and smile
13:09at reality.
13:10I'm sorry,
13:10is there really no script?
13:12Because I've been talking
13:13to myself for like
13:14two hours straight
13:15and I'm starting
13:15to sound insane.
13:16Movie star Charisma
13:17is surprisingly tough
13:18to parody,
13:19but Taron Killam
13:20cracked the code
13:21with his take
13:22on Brad Pitt.
13:22Appearing in multiple
13:23commercial parodies
13:24and also on
13:25Weekend Update,
13:26Killam leaned into
13:27Pitt's famously
13:28relaxed demeanor
13:29and almost hypnotic cool.
13:31And of course,
13:32when you're down there,
13:33you're just a hop
13:34skipping a jump
13:34from Baja, Mexico
13:36where we filmed
13:36Guess What, Seth?
13:38I don't know,
13:38the Mexican?
13:39No, Troy.
13:40Dad!
13:42Hey there, baby.
13:43Angelina!
13:43Number 19,
13:45Jan Hooks
13:45as Tammy Faye Baker.
13:47The PTL scandal
13:48of the late 1980s
13:49handed SNL
13:50comedic gold.
13:51And Jan Hooks
13:52grabbed it
13:53with both hands.
13:54Jimmy, excuse me,
13:55but what took 15 minutes?
13:57His little visit
13:59to the Lucky Stiff Motel.
14:01Isn't that right, honey?
14:04Impersonating Tammy Faye Baker
14:06required threading
14:07an incredibly delicate needle.
14:08The woman was simultaneously
14:10over the top
14:11and deeply emotional,
14:12which makes parody
14:13genuinely tricky.
14:14Go to broad
14:16and you lose the person.
14:17Hooks found
14:18the perfect pitch,
14:19capturing Baker's
14:20shrill, trembling voice
14:21and theatrical emotional
14:23breakdowns
14:23with razor precision.
14:25And once it felt like
14:26someone shoved
14:27a bun cake ring
14:29down over my head
14:30and the bun,
14:31right, honey?
14:32Yes.
14:32And the bun unbraided
14:33and the filling rose up
14:34in flames
14:35and all the races
14:35turned into demons.
14:36Frequently appearing
14:37alongside Phil Hartman
14:38as Jim Baker,
14:40their chemistry created
14:41a hilariously chaotic
14:42portrait of televangelism
14:43in Free Fall.
14:44The heavy mascara-streaked
14:46makeup completed
14:47the picture.
14:47It remains one of
14:48the most precise
14:49and committed character
14:50impressions in SNL history.
14:52Now we all know
14:54that blackmail is bad.
14:56It is.
14:57But what's worth
14:57it's expensive.
14:59It's expensive.
15:00Plus, we have another
15:01payment due, partners.
15:03We do.
15:03Number 18,
15:05Andy Samberg
15:06as Nicolas Cage.
15:07Well, good evening, Nick.
15:09You're looking
15:09very well tonight.
15:11That's very kind
15:12of you, Nick.
15:14You look great, too.
15:16Nicolas Cage
15:17is almost an impression
15:18unto himself,
15:19which paradoxically
15:20makes him harder
15:21to impersonate convincingly.
15:23The danger
15:24is veering
15:25into pure caricature
15:26without capturing
15:27the genuine,
15:27unpredictable electricity
15:29Cage brings
15:29to everything he does.
15:31Andy Samberg
15:32leaned into
15:32the physicality,
15:34often wearing a suit
15:35while deploying Cage's
15:36wildly shifting
15:37emotional intensity.
15:38Also, I love your scent.
15:40Musky and masculine.
15:41Like that of a
15:43silverback gorilla
15:43in a form-fitting
15:44leather jacket.
15:52One second,
15:53he's calm.
15:54The next,
15:55completely unhinged.
15:56His focus on Cage's
15:58specific vocal cadence,
15:59that strange rhythm
16:00where sentences
16:01seem to build
16:01toward an inexplicable
16:03explosion,
16:04gave the impression
16:05real authenticity.
16:07Samberg understood
16:07that with Cage,
16:08you can't just play
16:09crazy,
16:10you have to play
16:11committed,
16:12which is a whole
16:13different skill set.
16:14You just made
16:15my list,
16:15Schindler!
16:16What list is that?
16:17My Christmas card list!
16:19I send them out
16:20in April,
16:21when you least expect it!
16:23Number 17,
16:24Ego Wodum
16:25as Dionne Warwick.
16:26What do you get
16:28when you fall in love?
16:30A guy with a
16:31pin to burst your bubble.
16:34Thank you,
16:35thank you,
16:36thank you.
16:37Dionne Warwick
16:38spent decades
16:38as a music icon
16:40before becoming
16:40an unexpected
16:41cultural phenomenon,
16:42specifically through
16:43her gloriously
16:44unfiltered Twitter presence,
16:46capturing both dimensions
16:47in a single impression?
16:49Now that is
16:50a real challenge.
16:51But Ego Wodum
16:52absolutely cracked it.
16:53So, Kesha.
16:54No.
16:56No, I'm Billie Eilish.
16:57No, I know.
16:58So why does Kesha
16:59have a dollar sign?
17:01And also,
17:02Sia with the wig?
17:03She got a nose job
17:04or something?
17:04Her recurring
17:05Dionne Warwick
17:06talk show segments
17:07on SNL
17:08nailed the singer's
17:09imperious,
17:09unbothered attitude
17:10and her willingness
17:12to say exactly
17:13what she thinks
17:13to absolutely anyone.
17:15Now, you did a song
17:16called South of the Border.
17:18My question is,
17:19are you nasty?
17:22Yeah, a little bit.
17:23Oh, good, good, good.
17:25Because I think
17:26that's healthy.
17:27Wodum also channeled
17:28Warwick's vocal stylings
17:29with genuine accuracy,
17:31grounding the comedy
17:32in real performance
17:33rather than mere caricature.
17:35The impression works
17:36because Wodum
17:37plays it with
17:37complete sincerity
17:38and Warwick herself
17:40has responded
17:40positively to it,
17:42which says everything.
17:43Oh, sweet love
17:46It's the only thing
17:49that there's just
17:52too little love
17:55No. 16.
17:56Alex Moffitt
17:57as Mark Zuckerberg
17:58Few public figures
17:59are as oddly difficult
18:01to imitate
18:01as meta-CEO
18:02Mark Zuckerberg.
18:03His speaking style
18:04is stiff,
18:05his expressions restrained,
18:07and his public appearances
18:08often feel
18:10slightly robotic.
18:11Hey, Colin,
18:12remember we were
18:12best friends at Harvard?
18:13No, we were not friends.
18:14Yeah, I remember
18:15I was like,
18:16I can't steal
18:17the Winklevoss' idea
18:18and you were like,
18:18do it, nerd,
18:19I dare you.
18:19No, I did not say that.
18:20No.
18:21Anyway, I took your advice
18:22and now I'm rich, Deb.
18:23Alex Moffitt
18:24leaned directly
18:25into that uncanny quality.
18:27Appearing in several
18:28cold opens
18:29and on Weekend Update,
18:30Moffitt played Zuckerberg
18:31as a hyper-focused
18:32tech overlord
18:33who locked into
18:34intense eye contact
18:35while calmly defending
18:37questionable data practices.
18:38Hi, everyone.
18:39No, no, no.
18:41We don't need
18:42any more from that guy.
18:44The impression echoed
18:45the real-life scrutiny
18:46Zuckerberg faced
18:47during congressional hearings
18:48in Washington.
18:49Moffitt's performance
18:50exaggerated the robotic cadence
18:52just enough to push it
18:53into comedy
18:54without losing
18:54the recognizable awkwardness.
18:56Watching him grin
18:57too widely
18:58while explaining
18:59social media dominance
19:00felt hilariously unsettling.
19:02I can't be any more transparent.
19:04Have you seen my skin?
19:06Far more transparent,
19:08I'd be clear.
19:09But seriously,
19:10I keyed.
19:10I think the problem is
19:12when I do bad things,
19:13I get money.
19:14What?
19:15Number 15.
19:17Marcelo Hernandez
19:18as Sebastian Maniscalco.
19:19You heard of this?
19:20They gotta go for a teacher?
19:23I go, get out of here!
19:25Take it somewhere else!
19:27Why would you do that?
19:28Doing an impression
19:30of a fellow comedian
19:31is its own particular
19:32high-wire act.
19:33The audience already knows
19:35exactly how that person
19:36sounds and moves,
19:37so there's no hiding
19:38imprecision.
19:39Marcelo Hernandez
19:40first debuted
19:41his Sebastian Maniscalco
19:42impression during
19:43the wicked audition sketch,
19:44but it truly ignited
19:46during the Glenn Powell
19:47hosted episode.
19:47The biggest obstacle
19:49is gonna be
19:50the mother-in-law,
19:51okay?
19:52And it's not the type
19:53of obstacle
19:54you can step over it.
19:57No, you're gonna have
19:58to jump over
19:59the mother-in-law.
20:00It then continued
20:01evolving through
20:02the Harry Styles
20:03hosted show
20:03on season 51.
20:05Hernandez nails
20:06Maniscalco's
20:06explosive,
20:07big gesture energy
20:08and his habit
20:10of turning every observation
20:11into a near crisis.
20:12If you're gonna
20:13paint me,
20:14you gotta tell me,
20:15mama,
20:15so I can give you
20:17a pose,
20:18okay?
20:18I want you to
20:19paint me like this.
20:21Or a worst-taste scenario,
20:23get me like that.
20:24On The Tonight Show
20:25starring Jimmy Fallon,
20:26Hernandez joked
20:27that the trick
20:28is simply exhaling
20:29while talking
20:29and phrasing
20:30every single statement
20:31as a question.
20:33If he's ordering
20:33fast food,
20:34I feel like it'd be
20:34something like,
20:35um,
20:36I'd like,
20:37like a,
20:38like a number one.
20:43Does it have pickles?
20:46Number 14.
20:48Norm Macdonald
20:49as Burt Reynolds.
20:50Some impressions
20:51transcend accuracy
20:52and become a comedic
20:53mythology all their own.
20:55Norm Macdonald's
20:56Burt Reynolds
20:56in the beloved
20:57Celebrity Jeopardy!
20:58sketches
20:58is the definitive example.
21:00Who is, uh,
21:02Scooby-Doo?
21:04No!
21:05That was a funny dog,
21:06Scooby-Doo.
21:07He drove around in a van
21:08and, uh,
21:08solved mysteries.
21:10That is incorrect.
21:11Macdonald portrayed
21:12Reynolds as a
21:13magnificently dim,
21:14swaggering relic
21:15of 1970s Hollywood,
21:17obsessed with
21:18absurdly oversized hats
21:20and wholly committed
21:21to tormenting
21:21Will Ferrell's
21:22Alex Trebek
21:23at every possible opportunity.
21:25Yeah, I found this
21:25backstage,
21:26an oversized hat.
21:27Funny.
21:28No, it's not.
21:29Sure did.
21:30It's funny.
21:30It's funny because
21:31it's, uh,
21:31bigger than a,
21:32you know,
21:32normal hat.
21:33I see that.
21:34Get back to your podium.
21:35Ha!
21:36Take a look at that.
21:37The genius was that
21:38Macdonald wasn't
21:39strictly mimicking Reynolds.
21:40He was distilling
21:41an entire archetype
21:42of confident,
21:43cheerful obliviousness.
21:44Reynolds himself
21:45was reportedly amused
21:47by the portrayal,
21:48which tracks.
21:48You can't stay mad
21:49at something that funny.
21:51These sketches remain
21:52among the most quoted
21:53in SNL's entire run.
21:55I just remembered.
21:56You remembered what?
21:57I remembered who, uh,
21:59Andre the Giant was.
21:59He was a giant
22:03and he went by the name
22:03of, uh,
22:06Andre.
22:06Number 13,
22:08Daryl Hammond
22:09as Bill Clinton.
22:10Have you ever read a book
22:11that's so good
22:11you just can't put it down?
22:14And then you just want
22:15to run out
22:15and tell everyone
22:16all about it?
22:17Folks,
22:18this is one of those books.
22:20The great Phil Hartman
22:21originated Bill Clinton
22:22on SNL,
22:23so Daryl Hammond
22:24stepping into those shoes
22:25carried serious pressure.
22:27Hammond,
22:28who joined the cast
22:29in 1995,
22:30made a decisive choice.
22:32Rather than replicate
22:33Hartman's broadly comedic take,
22:35he pursued something
22:36more textured.
22:37His Clinton
22:37was vocally uncanny,
22:40locking onto that
22:40distinctive Arkansas drawl
22:42with almost unsettling accuracy.
22:44I mean,
22:44this would be a great book
22:45to read on the beach
22:46and I strongly urge
22:48all Americans
22:49to buy this book.
22:50Anyway,
22:51thank you for your time,
22:52America,
22:53and God bless you all.
22:55The physical details,
22:56the lip bite,
22:57the thumb point,
22:58the slow burn charm offensive,
23:00were equally precise.
23:02Hammond leaned into
23:03Clinton's political savvy
23:04and magnetic charisma,
23:06making the impression feel
23:07like a genuine character study
23:08as much as a parody.
23:10So what are you doing?
23:11Well,
23:12I got Saddam on the other line,
23:13looks like there ain't
23:14gonna be a war.
23:16Well,
23:16that bites.
23:17Totally.
23:18He played Clinton
23:19across an extraordinary stretch
23:21of the show's history,
23:22making his version
23:23the genuinely definitive one.
23:25Hillary,
23:25isn't it crazy
23:26that phones can take videos now?
23:28I mean,
23:28if they could have done that
23:29in the 90s,
23:31I'd be in jail.
23:33We also have to mention
23:34Daryl Hammond's
23:35combative Sean Connery,
23:36which became such a defining part
23:38of the celebrity
23:39Jeopardy! sketches
23:39that Hammond later
23:40called it
23:41easily the most popular
23:43thing he had ever done.
23:44This is the sound
23:46a doggy makes.
23:47Mr. Connery,
23:49moo.
23:50Number 12,
23:52Eddie Murphy
23:52as Stevie Wonder.
23:53You know,
23:54Frank,
23:56I feel it is
23:57a tremendous honor
23:57to be recording with you.
24:00Thank you, Stevie.
24:01I feel,
24:02I feel the same.
24:04Taking on
24:05a beloved music legend
24:06requires precision
24:07and a lot of respect.
24:09And Eddie Murphy
24:10delivered both
24:11with his Stevie Wonder impression.
24:13Murphy captured
24:14Wonder's soft speaking voice,
24:15relaxed smile,
24:16and gentle head movements
24:18while performing
24:19exaggerated musical bits
24:20at the piano.
24:21I am dark
24:22and you are light.
24:24You are blind
24:25as a bad.
24:26I have sight.
24:28His portrayal
24:29was both affectionate
24:30and razor sharp.
24:31But what elevated
24:32into another category
24:33entirely was that
24:34he got to perform
24:35the impression live
24:36alongside Wonder himself
24:37when the musician
24:38hosted the show
24:39in 1983.
24:40Wonder's visible
24:41enjoyment of the parody
24:42remains one of the show's
24:43most genuinely joyful moments
24:45and a testament
24:46to Murphy's
24:47extraordinary talent.
24:48You got to move
24:49your neck around.
24:50Stevie, move your neck around.
24:50I can't hold my
24:52past Joe.
24:52Move your neck
24:53like somebody choking you.
24:54Like that, see?
24:57If you don't like my show,
24:58I'm going to choke you.
25:00Number 11.
25:01John Belushi
25:02as Joe Cocker.
25:03There are impressions
25:04and then there are
25:05full-body performance events.
25:07John Belushi's Joe Cocker
25:09belongs firmly
25:10in the second category.
25:19Cocker's stage presence,
25:21the convulsing limbs,
25:22the garbled,
25:23soul-wrenched vocals,
25:24the total physical surrender
25:26to the music
25:27was already extraordinary.
25:29Belushi took that raw material
25:31and amplified it
25:32into something
25:32almost mythological,
25:34mimicking the spasmodic
25:35movements and vocal intensity
25:36with wild,
25:37committed abandon.
25:48performing songs like
25:49With a Little Help
25:50From My Friends
25:50and Feeling All Right,
25:52Belushi completely channeled
25:53the English singer.
25:54In one of SNL's
25:55most legendary moments,
25:57Belushi performed
25:58the impression directly
25:59alongside Cocker himself,
26:01with both men matching
26:02each other move for move.
26:04Absolutely unforgettable television.
26:07It's all right!
26:08It's all right!
26:10It's all right!
26:10It's all right!
26:10I'm feeling good about it!
26:14It's all right!
26:15Number 10.
26:16Vanessa Bayer
26:17as Jennifer Aniston
26:18slash Rachel Green.
26:19Oh, yeah, you know,
26:20the 90s are great.
26:21You know, you go to work,
26:23you go on dates,
26:24and you go to cafes
26:25with your friends,
26:26and you all sit
26:27facing camera.
26:29Yeah!
26:29Hey, hey, you know,
26:31Joey had a really,
26:32really bad audition,
26:33and we're all gonna
26:35talk about it tonight
26:35at the boy apartment!
26:38You should come!
26:39Some impressions are good,
26:41and then there are those
26:42so convincing,
26:43they get the real deal
26:44to show up.
26:45Vanessa Bayer built
26:46her reputation on a series
26:47of pitch-perfect impressions.
26:49With that said, though,
26:50her claim to fame
26:51is her Jennifer Aniston,
26:53nailing Rachel Green's
26:54quirky cadences
26:55and that instantly recognizable,
26:57slightly nasally delivery.
27:02Oh, Colin!
27:04Oh!
27:04You scared me!
27:05I was just in the shower!
27:08But the bit reached
27:09legendary status
27:10when Aniston herself
27:11joined Bayer
27:11at the Weekend Update desk
27:13alongside Colin Jost
27:14and Michael Che.
27:15What could have been awkward
27:16turned into comedy gold,
27:18as Aniston gamely
27:19played along,
27:20and Bayer proved
27:21her impression held up
27:22right next to the original.
27:23When your subject
27:24gives you the stamp
27:25of approval,
27:26you've officially nailed it.
27:27You know,
27:28Friends was like
27:29five million
27:31and five years ago,
27:32so I think we've just
27:34got to move on.
27:35Well, I don't know.
27:37I just,
27:37I thought,
27:38because I do this great fit
27:39as Rachel,
27:40so...
27:45Is it a great fit, though?
27:47I mean...
27:48Number 9.
27:49Jay Farrow
27:50as Denzel Washington
28:09When viral impressionist
28:11Farrow joined SNL in 2010,
28:13he didn't just come
28:14with a knack for impressions,
28:15he came with a full arsenal.
28:17Chief among them
28:18was his uncannily sharp
28:20Denzel Washington.
28:21Yeah, you're right.
28:22So, uh,
28:22let's see here.
28:23So, uh,
28:24you bought this handbag
28:25for $340
28:26and now you want
28:27your money back.
28:28That's what you're saying?
28:29That's what you're telling me, right?
28:31I, uh, that's, yes.
28:32Okay, $340.
28:33That's a lot of money
28:34to be asking for back.
28:35I mean,
28:36I'll give it to you.
28:37Farrow didn't just
28:38mimic Washington's voice.
28:39He captured the Oscar
28:41winner's mannerisms,
28:42cadences,
28:43and signature intensity
28:44so precisely.
28:45It was like watching
28:46Denzel play himself.
28:48The impression first
28:49turned heads
28:49in the returns
28:50and exchanges sketch.
28:52Overnight,
28:52he was branded
28:53the show's new
28:53master impressionist.
28:55While his catalog
28:56would grow to include
28:57everyone from
28:57Barack Obama
28:58to Kanye West,
29:00it was his pitch-perfect
29:01Denzel that proved
29:02he could stand
29:02shoulder to shoulder
29:03with the best
29:04of his peers
29:04in SNL history.
29:05So you calling me a liar,
29:07right?
29:07No, no, no.
29:08I didn't call you a liar.
29:09It sounded like it to me.
29:10Huh?
29:11Let me tell you something.
29:13Don't you ever
29:14in your life
29:14call me a liar.
29:16But I didn't.
29:17I just wanted to return my-
29:18Oh, yes, you did.
29:22I just want to thank
29:27the brave sponsors
29:28who stuck with me
29:30despite the accusations
29:31by the radical loony left.
29:34To companies like Jeep,
29:36I say thank you.
29:38And to Mitsubishi,
29:39I say
29:39Domo Arigato, Cobra Kai.
29:42Some impressions are tough
29:44because everyone
29:45knows the subject.
29:46Others are tough
29:47because hardly anyone does.
29:49Cecily Strong's
29:50Jeanine Pirro
29:51fell firmly
29:51into the latter camp.
29:53There's a new sheriff
29:54in town
29:55and the president
29:56sending a message
29:57to every terrorist
29:58and gangbanger
29:59out there.
30:00You better buckle up.
30:02We're coming for you.
30:03The longtime Fox News host
30:05and judge
30:06wasn't exactly
30:06a household name
30:07outside of politics,
30:09making Strong's ability
30:10to build a recurring
30:11impression around her
30:12all the more impressive.
30:14Twenty years ago,
30:15I yelled at a waiter
30:16because my Cobb salad
30:18had a cranberry in it.
30:19And now I'm locked
30:21at this volume
30:22every day
30:22for the rest of my life.
30:24Well, it's rumored
30:26that Fox has only
30:26kept you on the air
30:27because Donald Trump
30:28personally called
30:29the network
30:30on your behalf.
30:30Yes, that is because
30:32Donald Trump
30:33is a class act.
30:35Strong leaned into
30:36Pirro's fiery monologues,
30:38sharp hand gestures,
30:39and unapologetic bravado,
30:41transforming a new
30:42niche political personality
30:43into a one-woman show.
30:45The impression
30:46typically found
30:47Strong as Pirro
30:48downing multiple glasses
30:49of booze while ranting,
30:50teetering on the edge
30:51of chaos,
30:52but never breaking character.
30:54The sheer commitment
30:55and precision
30:56turned a difficult,
30:57hyper-specific target
30:58into one of her
30:59signature roles.
31:00Look at this.
31:01This is Janine
31:02has brought her files
31:03and she's ready to work.
31:05Oh, no.
31:05This?
31:06It's a cozy
31:07for my Merlozy.
31:09See, she always
31:11comes prepared.
31:12And that rhymed.
31:12I like that.
31:14Wow-wee.
31:17Sweet justice.
31:19Number seven,
31:20Bill Hader
31:21as Keith Morrison.
31:22Sarah Halliman's boyfriend
31:24was into drugs
31:26and getting mixed up
31:27with some gangbangers.
31:29But one night,
31:30he just didn't come home.
31:33I looked for him
31:35for weeks and weeks.
31:36Finally,
31:36the police called me
31:37and they found his car.
31:39Bill Hader's range
31:40of impressions
31:41was staggering,
31:42but few were as oddly
31:43specific
31:44and oddly perfect
31:45as his take on
31:46Dateline NBC host
31:48Keith Morrison.
31:49Hader parodies
31:50the Canadian broadcasting legend's
31:51stately demeanor
31:52as being ghoulishly fascinated
31:54by the true crime stories
31:55he narrates,
31:56leaning all the way
31:57into those quirks.
31:58And when I came to,
32:02my leg was gone.
32:03Oh.
32:05Did you find it?
32:08No.
32:09It had been eaten.
32:10Oh, no.
32:13I'm sorry.
32:14Are you smiling?
32:16No.
32:18I'm horrified.
32:20With his head tilted,
32:21eyebrows raised,
32:22and a sing-song cadence
32:23that turned grim details
32:25into almost gleeful punchlines,
32:27Hader captured exactly
32:28what makes Morrison
32:29such a singular TV presence.
32:31How horrified
32:32those wealthy folk
32:33would have been.
32:34Have they known
32:35the deadly secret
32:36officer Wilson
32:37was about to expose
32:38on the wrong end
32:40of America Street?
32:42Is that too creepy?
32:43Let's take the temperature
32:44of the room here
32:45for a second.
32:45Hang on.
32:46What do you think, Bill?
32:47What could have been
32:48a niche, throwaway impression
32:50became one of Hader's
32:51standout recurring bits,
32:52proving his gift
32:53for spotting the eccentricities
32:55others might overlook.
32:56By making even tragedy
32:58sound cheerful,
32:59Hader nailed an impression
33:00both difficult
33:01and unforgettable.
33:03She had murdered
33:03our neighbors.
33:19Do you get some sort
33:21of strange delight
33:22in all this?
33:23I do.
33:24He left an equally
33:25lasting impression
33:26with his work
33:27as Alan Alda,
33:28which really speaks
33:29for itself.
33:30That is just terrific.
33:32And how are you guys
33:32going to shoot the dinosaurs?
33:33Is this going to be
33:34a forced perspective?
33:35You know, that's how
33:36we shot Jamie Farr
33:37on MASH.
33:38Yeah, no, he's only
33:39about two feet tall.
33:40Number six,
33:41James Austin Johnson
33:42as Donald Trump.
33:44I'm in my king era,
33:46but just like
33:47the founding fathers,
33:49I am creating
33:50a new country as well.
33:51And just like them,
33:53we're doing it
33:53very whitely.
33:55DEI is over.
33:57It's dead.
33:57Workplaces must go back
33:59to looking like
33:59the TV show The Office.
34:02Mostly white people,
34:03but with one funny
34:04black guy who's
34:05having a really bad time.
34:06By the time
34:07Nashville native
34:07Johnson joined SNL
34:09in 2021,
34:10Donald Trump impressions
34:11had been done to death.
34:13But Johnson's version
34:14was so eerily accurate,
34:15it felt like the bar
34:16had been reset.
34:17Where others leaned
34:18on caricature,
34:19Johnson nailed
34:20the fine details,
34:21the wandering tangents,
34:23the rambling syntax,
34:25even the sing-song
34:25cadence of Trump's voice.
34:27Can I get 60 seconds
34:28on the clock, please?
34:30Because there's a lot of times
34:31where I was giving advice.
34:33A lot of times
34:34I was giving advice
34:34and people weren't listening
34:35and it didn't work out
34:36so great for some
34:37of those people, okay?
34:38I mean, when you look back
34:39with Star Wars,
34:40I said,
34:40you need to do it
34:42with swords.
34:43The laces are not enough.
34:44The result was less parody
34:46and more uncanny imitation.
34:48So much so that many
34:49called it the most accurate
34:50Trump impression
34:51ever done on the show.
34:52Look at Lin.
34:54He got tricked into coming here
34:55and now he's frozen on stage.
34:57Oh, he's furious.
34:59But I'm back in the White House
35:01just in time.
35:02Everything is back
35:03to how it was,
35:04except now my new favorite son
35:06is barren
35:07and he is smacking his hat
35:09on every doorframe.
35:10Oh, it's bad.
35:11It was literally
35:12his ticket to SNL.
35:14Johnson was hired
35:15almost entirely
35:16on the strength
35:16of his viral Trump videos.
35:18In a sea of lookalikes,
35:20his impression stood out
35:21because it sounded
35:22indistinguishably real.
35:23Lin-Manuel Miranda Cosgrove
35:26is such a moran.
35:31Well, in conclusion,
35:32it's been a great week.
35:34I basically had
35:35all my campaign promises
35:36except for the one
35:37people cared about,
35:38Price of Eggs.
35:40All time high.
35:41Who would have thought
35:41it'd be easier
35:42to get a ceasefire in Gaza?
35:44Number five,
35:45Melissa Villasenor
35:46as Lady Gaga.
35:48Tell me something, girl.
35:52Are you happy
35:54in this modern world?
35:56Yeah, it's okay.
35:57Melissa Villasenor
35:58brought an impressionist
36:00toolkit to SNL
36:01with a repertoire
36:02that ranged from
36:02pop divas
36:03to movie stars.
36:04But one of her finest
36:05and funniest
36:07was her take
36:08on Lady Gaga.
36:09Villasenor
36:09didn't just mimic
36:10Gaga's voice.
36:11She bottled the singer's
36:13innately theatrical delivery
36:14and penchant
36:15for dominating the spotlight.
36:16When I heard the song
36:17for the first time
36:18this morning,
36:19I just,
36:20I felt like I was
36:23falling
36:27In all the good times
36:29I find myself
36:30longing
36:33for change
36:35The bit reached
36:36its comedic peak
36:37during a Weekend Update
36:38appearance,
36:38wherein Villasenor
36:40insisted she wasn't
36:41doing a Gaga impression
36:42while clearly doing
36:43a spot-on Gaga impression.
36:45The sketch became
36:46a showcase
36:46for her uncanny ear
36:48and genuine musical chops.
36:50Proof that Villasenor
36:51could transform
36:51a larger-than-life star
36:53into a hilarious character
36:54without turning her
36:55into caricature.
36:56In the shadow
36:58of the light alone
37:01In the shadow
37:02of the light alone
37:11That was Kyle's
37:14part,
37:14that was it.
37:15Number 4
37:16Maya Rudolph
37:17as Beyoncé
37:18It is truly
37:20an honor.
37:21I know.
37:23I cannot believe
37:24you're on Hot Ones.
37:26Now I feel you.
37:27I still can't tell
37:28if this is beneath me.
37:31But my sister
37:32Solange loves this show
37:33so
37:33I said I'd do it.
37:36Plenty of SNL impressions
37:37thrive on exaggeration,
37:39but Maya Rudolph's
37:40Beyoncé works
37:41because it feels
37:41both affectionate
37:42and just slightly unhinged.
37:44Rudolph has long
37:45been celebrated
37:46for her musicality
37:47and larger-than-life
37:48characters.
37:49And her Queen Bee
37:50impression showcases both.
37:52It's very surreal.
37:53And it's been
37:5425 years
37:56of just
37:58working really hard
37:59and trying my best
38:00to keep growing
38:02and keep opening up doors.
38:04So I'm just very honored.
38:05Where she really shines
38:06is in the recurring
38:07Hot Ones parody sketches,
38:09where her perfectly
38:10poised Beyoncé
38:11slowly unravels
38:12under the heat
38:12of progressively
38:13spicier wings.
38:15Oh, this isn't helping.
38:19Water makes it worse.
38:22Why is it worse?
38:25Oh, got my ass
38:30drinking milk now.
38:31Watching the usually
38:33composed superstar
38:34lose her cool
38:34while still trying
38:36to maintain
38:36that iconic elegance
38:37became instant
38:39comedy gold.
38:40Rudolph's impression
38:41succeeds because
38:42it doesn't mock Beyoncé.
38:44It magnifies her aura
38:45and then cleverly
38:46lets the format
38:47chip away at it.
38:48The result?
38:49One of her most
38:50memorable recurring roles.
38:51You need to shut
38:52your Charlie Brown
38:53looking ass
38:54up for a minute
38:54and you need
38:55to listen to me.
38:58Beyoncé about to do
39:00something very human
39:01so I need you
39:03to blur my face
39:04in three,
39:05two,
39:06one.
39:08Number three.
39:10Kristen Wiig
39:10as Björk.
39:12Greetings, Snarf.
39:16How is your skeleton?
39:19Uh, good.
39:20How, how's your skeleton?
39:22It's itchy.
39:25Okay.
39:26Kristen Wiig's Björk
39:27was an unexpectedly
39:28perfect fit,
39:29a culmination of
39:30everything else
39:31the SNL legend
39:32had tackled.
39:32The Icelandic singer
39:34is already one of
39:35pop's most eccentric
39:36personalities.
39:37Known for her
39:38whimsical speech
39:38patterns and surreal
39:40imagery,
39:41and Wiig leaned
39:41all the way in.
39:42It's very bad.
39:44Many Icelanders
39:45cannot afford
39:46basic necessities
39:47like Sklarch and Flerp.
39:50That sounds grim.
39:52It is the worst tragedy
39:53in our nation's history.
39:55Worse than the
39:55great Norwalk
39:56robbery of 1301
39:58or the reindeer
39:59uprising of 2012.
40:01She would drift
40:02through interviews
40:03in chittering tones
40:04about befriending
40:04woodland creatures.
40:06Nonsense that somehow
40:07still felt like
40:08something Björk herself
40:09might actually say.
40:10A lot of people
40:11won't know who you are.
40:13Could you describe yourself?
40:14I'm an Icelandic
40:17housewife
40:17in the 20s
40:19who just moved
40:22away from the island.
40:24It's a deceptively
40:25difficult impression
40:26because it's not just
40:27about mimicking a voice.
40:28It's about embodying
40:30an otherworldly persona.
40:32Wiig captured the
40:32electronic music
40:33trailblazers
40:34idiosyncratic magic
40:35perfectly,
40:36making her Björk
40:37a cult favorite
40:38recurring character.
40:39The prime minister
40:40took all of our money
40:41and tied it to a horse
40:43and then took the horse
40:44and ran it into the ocean.
40:47Can't believe
40:48that backfired.
40:49So, how did your country
40:51rebound from this collapse?
40:53First, I think
40:54we should change
40:54our currency.
40:56Instead of using
40:57paper money,
40:58I think we should
40:58pay for things
40:59with clouds.
41:00Number two,
41:01Kate McKinnon
41:02as Hillary Clinton.
41:03Hello, Huma.
41:07Why won't the people
41:07just let me lead?
41:08No, you know what?
41:09Just give me the hammer
41:10and the nails
41:11and let me fix it all.
41:13Hillary, I think
41:14that you've heard
41:14enough in here.
41:15Let's get out of here.
41:17Oh, you go ahead.
41:18I'm gonna have
41:18one more drink.
41:19Some public figures
41:20are born to be impersonated.
41:22Hillary Clinton
41:23is not one of them.
41:25Her stately,
41:26measured demeanor
41:26makes her a tough
41:27target for comedy.
41:28There's no wild voice
41:30or exaggerated quirk
41:31to latch onto.
41:32That's exactly why
41:34Kate McKinnon's
41:34impression stands out.
41:38Rough night.
41:39Yeah, you could say that.
41:41Woo.
41:41Hi, I'm Hillary
41:43Rodham Clinton.
41:44Hey, great name.
41:46I'm Val.
41:48So, Hillary,
41:49what brings you
41:50here tonight?
41:50Well, I needed
41:52to blow off some steam.
41:53I've had a hard
41:54couple of 22 years.
41:55Rather than going broad,
41:57McKinnon zeroed in
41:58on Clinton's
41:59polished mannerisms
42:00and steely determination,
42:01then twisted them
42:02just enough to reveal
42:04the vulnerability
42:04and awkwardness beneath.
42:06Why?
42:07What do you do
42:08for a living?
42:09Well, first,
42:10I'm a grandmother.
42:11And second,
42:12I am a human
42:13entrusted with
42:14this one green earth.
42:17Oh, I get it.
42:18You're a politician.
42:20Yes.
42:21Yes.
42:21And how about you?
42:23Well, me?
42:25I'm just an ordinary citizen
42:26who believes
42:27the Keystone Pipeline
42:28will destroy our environment.
42:30Whether portraying
42:31a politician
42:31or a chart-topping musician
42:33like Justin Bieber,
42:34McKinnon always steals
42:36the show without leaning
42:37into full farce-like parody.
42:39Her Hillary became
42:40a central figure
42:41in SNL's 2016 election coverage,
42:43showing how even the most
42:45quote-unquote bland subjects
42:46can be mined for rich,
42:48enduring comedy
42:49in the right hands.
42:50You know,
42:50nothing wrong with
42:51taking your time.
42:53What's important
42:53is getting it right.
42:55Yep.
42:55I'll drink to that.
42:56God, I love
42:57a scalding hot vodka.
42:59You know,
43:00I just realized
43:01I never checked your ID.
43:05ID!
43:06Come on, please!
43:07I have a one-year-old granddaughter.
43:10She calls me
43:11Madam President.
43:15Before we continue,
43:17check out this single
43:18from Current,
43:19EDM Transformed.
43:21Check out the full track
43:22and album below.
43:28Number 1.
43:29Tina Fey as Sarah Palin.
43:31Good evening,
43:32my fellow Americans.
43:35I was so excited
43:38when I was told
43:39Senator Clinton
43:40and I would be
43:41addressing you tonight.
43:43And I was told
43:45I would be addressing
43:46you alone.
43:47Every so often,
43:48an SNL impression
43:49becomes bigger
43:50than the show itself.
43:51That was the case
43:52when Tina Fey
43:53returned to Studio 8-H
43:54in 2008
43:55to play then-vice presidential
43:57candidate Sarah Palin.
43:58You know,
43:59Hillary and I
44:00don't agree
44:01on everything.
44:02Anything.
44:05I believe that
44:06diplomacy should be
44:07the cornerstone
44:08of any foreign policy.
44:11And I can see
44:12Russia from my house.
44:13What made it so difficult
44:15is what also
44:15made it iconic.
44:17Palin wasn't
44:18a decades-long
44:18public figure
44:19with well-established tics.
44:21She was brand new
44:22to the national stage.
44:23And Fey had to find
44:24the comedy
44:25in real time.
44:26What insight
44:27into Russian actions,
44:28particularly in the last
44:28couple of weeks,
44:29does the proximity
44:30of the state give you?
44:32They're our next-door
44:33neighbors.
44:33And you can actually
44:35see Russia
44:36from land
44:37here in Alaska.
44:38Her genius lay
44:39in amplifying
44:39Palin's folksy cadences,
44:41pageant queen smiles,
44:43and overconfident charm
44:44until they became
44:45instantly recognizable.
44:47The impression
44:48was so dead-on
44:49that many viewers
44:49still conflate
44:50Fey's parody lines
44:51with Palin's
44:52real quotes.
44:53While our politics
44:54may differ,
44:55my friend and I
44:56are both very tough ladies.
44:58You know,
44:59it reminds me
45:00of a joke
45:01we tell in Alaska.
45:03Oh boy.
45:04What's the difference
45:05between a hockey mom
45:07and a pit bull?
45:08Lipstick.
45:10Lipstick.
45:11There you go.
45:12Which SNL performer
45:13could fool you
45:14over the phone
45:14with their celebrity voice?
45:16Sound off
45:16in the comments.