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SNL cast members have tackled some of the trickiest impressions in comedy history, turning challenging personalities into unforgettable moments of humor. From subtle nuances to full-on physical transformations, these performances required dedication and an uncanny ability to capture quirks perfectly. Get ready to relive the most impressive impersonations, including Tina Fey’s Sarah Palin, Kate McKinnon’s Hillary Clinton, Maya Rudolph’s Beyoncé, and many more comedic masterclasses.
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00:00And my dad, and my dad, I don't know if your dad did this, but my dad, I don't know
00:04if your dad did this, but my dad, I don't know if your dad did this, but my dad.
00:08Welcome to Ms. Mojo.
00:09And today, we're counting down our picks for the most notable SNL impressions that required an almost impossible level of
00:15dedication, skill, and comedic genius to pull off.
00:19We'll only be considering impersonations done by cast members.
00:22This is soapy water and I'm washing that filthy lion mouth.
00:28Number 20. Taron Killam as Brad Pitt.
00:31Plans disappear and dreams take over. And then dreams wake up and smile at reality.
00:38I'm sorry, is there really no script? Because I've been talking to myself for like two hours straight and I'm
00:43starting to sound insane.
00:45Movie star Charisma is surprisingly tough to parody, but Taron Killam cracked the code with his take on Brad Pitt.
00:51Appearing in multiple commercial parodies and also on Weekend Update, Killam leaned into Pitt's famously relaxed demeanor and almost hypnotic
00:59cool.
01:00And of course, when you're down there, you just hop, skip, and a jump from Baja, Mexico, where we filmed
01:05Guess What, Seth?
01:06I don't know, the Mexican?
01:07No, Troy.
01:10Hey there, baby.
01:11Angelina!
01:12Instead of exaggerating wildly, he captured subtle things. The slightly squinty gaze, the easygoing speech pattern, and that effortless confidence
01:21Pitt carries into interviews and films alike.
01:24I'm kind of like the shark, I just keep moving. You know, it's the minute you stop.
01:28Is it the motorcycle helmet?
01:30That helps, that's really good.
01:31Yeah, that's a good one.
01:32That's the tricky part. Pitt's persona is understated, so there isn't an obvious hook.
01:37Killam solved that by amplifying the calm to the point of dazed vibe just enough to make it funny, without
01:43losing the actor's recognizable charm.
01:45Is it just me or do I look super homeless? That's what you want. Rock and roll.
01:50Number 19. Jan Hooks as Tammy Faye Baker.
01:53The PTL scandal of the late 1980s handed SNL comedic gold, and Jan Hooks grabbed it with both hands.
02:00Jimmy, excuse me, but what?
02:02Took 15 minutes.
02:04His little visit to the Lucky Stiff Motel.
02:07Isn't that right, honey?
02:10Yes, dear.
02:11Impersonating Tammy Faye Baker required threading an incredibly delicate needle.
02:15The woman was simultaneously over-the-top and deeply emotional, which makes parody genuinely tricky.
02:21Go to broad, and you lose the person.
02:24Hooks found the perfect pitch, capturing Baker's shrill, trembling voice and theatrical emotional breakdowns with razor precision.
02:31And once it felt like someone shoved a bun cake ring down over my head, and the bun, right, honey?
02:38Yes.
02:38And the bun unbraided, and the filling rose up in flames, and all the races turned into demons.
02:43Frequently appearing alongside Phil Hartman as Jim Baker, their chemistry created a hilariously chaotic portrait of televangelism in Free Fall.
02:51The heavy, mascara-streaked makeup completed the picture.
02:54It remains one of the most precise and committed character impressions in SNL history.
02:59Now, we all know that blackmail is bad.
03:02It is.
03:03But what's worth, it's expensive.
03:05It's expensive.
03:06Plus, we have another payment due, partners.
03:09We do.
03:10Number 18.
03:12Andy Samberg as Nicolas Cage.
03:14Well, good evening, Nick.
03:15You're looking very well tonight.
03:18That's very kind of you, Nick.
03:21You look great, too.
03:22Nicolas Cage is almost an impression unto himself, which, paradoxically, makes him harder to impersonate convincingly.
03:30The danger is veering into pure caricature without capturing the genuine, unpredictable electricity Cage brings to everything he does.
03:38Andy Samberg leaned into the physicality, often wearing a suit while deploying Cage's wildly shifting emotional intensity.
03:45Also, I love your scent.
03:46Musky and masculine.
03:48Like that of a silverback gorilla in a form-fitting leather jacket.
03:58That's how I pray.
03:59One second, he's calm.
04:01The next, completely unhinged.
04:03His focus on Cage's specific vocal cadence, that strange rhythm where sentences seem to build toward an inexplicable explosion, gave
04:11the impression real authenticity.
04:13Samberg understood that with Cage, you can't just play crazy.
04:17You have to play committed.
04:18Which is a whole different skill set.
04:20You just made my list, Schindler!
04:22What list is that?
04:24My Christmas card list!
04:26I send them out in April, when you least expect it!
04:29Number 17, Ego Wodum as Dionne Warwick.
04:33What do you get when you fall in love?
04:36A guy with a pin to burst your bubble.
04:41Thank you, thank you, thank you.
04:43Dionne Warwick spent decades as a music icon before becoming an unexpected cultural phenomenon, specifically through her gloriously unfiltered Twitter
04:52presence.
04:52Capturing both dimensions in a single impression, now that is a real challenge.
04:57But Ego Wodum absolutely cracked it.
05:00So, Kesha.
05:01No.
05:02No, I'm Billie Eilish.
05:04No, I know.
05:05So why does Kesha have a dollar sign?
05:07And also, Sia with the wig.
05:09She got a nose job or something.
05:11Her recurring Dionne Warwick talk show segments on SNL nailed the singer's imperious, unbothered attitude, and her willingness to say
05:19exactly what she thinks to absolutely anyone.
05:21Now, you did a song called South of the Border. My question is, are you nasty?
05:28Yeah, a little bit.
05:30Oh, good, good, good. Because I think that's healthy.
05:34Wodum also channeled Warwick's vocal stylings with genuine accuracy, grounding the comedy in real performance rather than mere caricature.
05:41The impression works because Wodum plays it with complete sincerity, and Warwick herself has responded positively to it, which says
05:49everything.
05:51Sweet love, it's the only thing that there's just too little love.
06:01Number 16, Alex Moffat as Mark Zuckerberg.
06:05Few public figures are as oddly difficult to imitate as meta-CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
06:10His speaking style is stiff, his expressions restrained, and his public appearances often feel slightly robotic.
06:18Hey, Colin, remember we were best friends at Harvard?
06:20No, no, we were not friends.
06:21Yeah, I remember, I was like, I can't steal the Winklevoss' idea, and you were like, do it, nerd, I
06:25dare you.
06:26No, I did not say that, no.
06:28Anyway, I took your advice, and now I'm rich.
06:29Deb?
06:30Alex Moffat leaned directly into that uncanny quality.
06:34Appearing in several cold opens and on Weekend Update, Moffat played Zuckerberg as a hyper-focused tech overlord who locked
06:40into intense eye contact,
06:42while calmly defending questionable data practices.
06:45Hi, everyone.
06:46No, no, no, we don't need any more from that guy.
06:50The impression echoed the real-life scrutiny Zuckerberg faced during congressional hearings in Washington.
06:56Moffat's performance exaggerated the robotic cadence just enough to push it into comedy without losing the recognizable awkwardness.
07:03Watching him grin too widely while explaining social media dominance felt hilariously unsettling.
07:08I can't be any more transparent.
07:10Have you seen my skin?
07:13Far more transparent, I'd be clear.
07:15But seriously, I keyed.
07:17I think the problem is when I do bad things, I get money.
07:21What?
07:22Number 15.
07:23Marcelo Hernandez as Sebastian Maniscalco.
07:26You heard of this?
07:27They gotta go for a teacher?
07:30I go, get out of here.
07:32Take it somewhere else.
07:33Why would you do that?
07:35Doing an impression of a fellow comedian is its own particular high-wire act.
07:40The audience already knows exactly how that person sounds and moves, so there's no hiding imprecision.
07:46Marcelo Hernandez first debuted his Sebastian Maniscalco impression during the Wicked audition sketch,
07:51but it truly ignited during the Glenn Powell-hosted episode.
07:54The biggest obstacle is gonna be the mother-in-law, okay?
07:58And it's not the type of obstacle you could step over it.
08:03No, you're gonna have to jump over the mother-in-law.
08:07It then continued evolving through the Harry Styles-hosted show on season 51.
08:11Hernandez nails Maniscalco's explosive, big-gesture energy,
08:15and his habit of turning every observation into a near-crisis.
08:19If you're gonna paint me, you gotta tell me, mama, so I can give you a pose, okay?
08:25I want you to paint me like this.
08:28Or a worst-case scenario, get me like that.
08:30On The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,
08:33Hernandez joked that the trick is simply exhaling while talking
08:36and phrasing every single statement as a question.
08:39If he's ordering fast food, I feel like it'd be something like,
08:42um, I'd like, like a, like a number one.
08:50Does it have pickles?
08:53Number 14.
08:54Norm Macdonald as Burt Reynolds.
08:56Some impressions transcend accuracy and become a comedic mythology all their own.
09:01Norm Macdonald's Burt Reynolds in the beloved Celebrity Jeopardy! sketches is the definitive example.
09:07Who is, uh, Scooby-Doo?
09:10No.
09:12That was a funny dog, Scooby-Doo.
09:13He drove around in a van and, uh, solved mysteries.
09:16That is incorrect.
09:17McDonald portrayed Reynolds as a magnificently dim, swaggering relic of 1970s Hollywood,
09:24obsessed with absurdly oversized hats,
09:26and wholly committed to tormenting Will Ferrell's Alex Trebek at every possible opportunity.
09:31Yeah, I found this backstage, uh, oversized hat.
09:34It's funny.
09:34No, it's not.
09:36I've heard it.
09:36It's funny.
09:37It's funny because it's, uh, bigger than a, you know, normal hat.
09:40I see that.
09:40Get back to your podium.
09:42Take a look at that.
09:43But the genius was that McDonald wasn't strictly mimicking Reynolds.
09:47He was distilling an entire archetype of confident, cheerful obliviousness.
09:51Reynolds himself was reportedly amused by the portrayal.
09:54Which tracks?
09:55You can't stay mad at something that funny.
09:57These sketches remain among the most quoted in SNL's entire run.
10:01I just remembered.
10:02You remembered what?
10:04I remembered who, uh, Andre the Giant was.
10:06He, uh, he was a giant and he went by the name of, uh, Andre.
10:13Number 13.
10:14Daryl Hammond as Bill Clinton.
10:16Have you ever read a book that's so good you just can't put it down?
10:20And then you just want to run out and tell everyone all about it?
10:24Folks, this is one of those books.
10:27The great Phil Hartman originated Bill Clinton on SNL.
10:30So Daryl Hammond stepping into those shoes carried serious pressure.
10:34Hammond, who joined the cast in 1995, made a decisive choice.
10:38Rather than replicate Hartman's broadly comedic take, he pursued something more textured.
10:43His Clinton was vocally uncanny, locking onto that distinctive Arkansas drawl with almost
10:49unsettling accuracy.
10:50I mean, this would be a great book to read on the beach, and I strongly urge all Americans
10:55to buy this book.
10:57Anyway, thank you for your time, America, and God bless you all.
11:01The physical details, the lip bite, the thumb point, the slow burn charm offensive, were
11:07equally precise.
11:08Hammond leaned into Clinton's political savvy and magnetic charisma, making the impression
11:13feel like a genuine character study as much as a parody.
11:16So what are you doing?
11:18Well, I got Saddam on the other line, looks like there ain't gonna be a war.
11:22Well, that bites.
11:24Totally.
11:24He played Clinton across an extraordinary stretch of the show's history, making his version the
11:30genuinely definitive one.
11:31Hillary, isn't it crazy that phones can take videos now?
11:34I mean, if they could have done that in the 90s, I'd be in jail.
11:39Number 12, Eddie Murphy as Stevie Wonder.
11:42You know, Frank, I feel it is a tremendous honor to be recording with you.
11:49Thank you, Stevie.
11:50I feel, I feel the same.
11:53Taking on a beloved music legend requires precision and a lot of respect, and Eddie Murphy
11:59delivered both with his Stevie Wonder impression.
12:02Murphy captured Wonder's soft-speaking voice, relaxed smile, and gentle head movements, while
12:07performing exaggerated musical bits at the piano.
12:10I am dark and you are light.
12:13You are blind as a bad man.
12:15I have sight.
12:17His portrayal was both affectionate and razor sharp.
12:19But what elevated into another category entirely was that he got to perform the impression
12:24live alongside Wonder himself when the musician hosted the show in 1983.
12:29Wonder's visible enjoyment of the parody remains one of the show's most genuinely joyful moments,
12:34and a testament to Murphy's extraordinary talent.
12:37You gotta move your neck around.
12:39Stevie, move your neck around.
12:41Move your neck like somebody choking you, like that, see?
12:46If you don't like my show, I'm going to choke you.
12:48Number 11.
12:50John Belushi as Joe Cocker.
12:52There are impressions, and then there are full-body performance events.
12:56John Belushi's Joe Cocker belongs firmly in the second category.
13:08Cocker's stage presence, the convulsing limbs, the garbled, soul-wrenched vocals, the total
13:14physical surrender to the music, was already extraordinary.
13:18Belushi took that raw material and amplified it into something almost mythological, mimicking
13:23the spasmodic movements and vocal intensity with wild, committed abandon.
13:27Don't stop leaving all your life.
13:33I have too much to do.
13:35It's all my life.
13:37Performing songs like With a Little Help from My Friends and Feeling Alright, Belushi completely
13:42channeled the English singer.
13:43In one of SNL's most legendary moments, Belushi performed the impression directly alongside
13:48Cocker himself, with both men matching each other move for move.
13:53Absolutely unforgettable television.
13:55It's all right.
13:57It's all right.
13:59It's all right.
14:00It's all right.
14:01It's all right.
14:02It's all right.
14:03It's all right.
14:04Number 10.
14:05Vanessa Bayer as Jennifer Aniston slash Rachel Green.
14:08Oh, yeah, you know, the 90s are great.
14:10You know, you go to work, you go on dates, and you go to cafes with your friends, and you
14:16all sit facing camera.
14:17Yeah.
14:18Hey, hey, you know, Joey had a really, really bad audition, and we're all going to talk
14:24about it tonight at the boy apartment.
14:27You should come.
14:28Some impressions are good.
14:30And then there are those so convincing, they get the real deal to show up.
14:34Vanessa Bayer built her reputation on a series of pitch-perfect impressions.
14:38With that said, though, her claim to fame is her Jennifer Aniston, nailing Rachel Green's
14:43quirky cadences and that instantly recognizable, slightly nasally delivery.
14:51Oh, Colin!
14:53Oh!
14:53You scared me!
14:55I was just in the shower!
14:57But the bit reached legendary status when Aniston herself joined Bayer at the Weekend
15:01Update desk alongside Colin Jost and Michael Che.
15:04What could have been awkward turned into comedy gold, as Aniston gamely played along, and Bayer
15:09proved her impression held up right next to the original.
15:12When your subject gives you the stamp of approval, you've officially nailed it.
15:16You know, Friends was like five million and five years ago, so I think we've just got
15:23to move on.
15:24Well, I don't know.
15:25I just, I thought, because I do this great bit as Rachel, so.
15:34Is it a great bit, though?
15:36I mean...
15:37Number nine.
15:38Jay Farrow as Denzel Washington.
15:42Okay, all right.
15:44So I found it, huh?
15:45Yeah.
15:45I told you it was there, right?
15:47I specifically stated.
15:48Uh, yes.
15:50Yes, you did.
15:51Thank you, Denzel.
15:52I knew it.
15:53I knew it.
15:55Oh.
15:55Now, what can I help you with, man?
15:58Huh?
15:58When viral impressionist Farrow joined SNL in 2010, he didn't just come with a knack for
16:03impressions.
16:04He came with a full arsenal.
16:06Chief among them was his uncannily sharp Denzel Washington.
16:09Yeah, yeah, all right.
16:11So, uh, let's see here.
16:12So, uh, you bought this handbag for $340, and now you want your money back.
16:17That's what you're saying?
16:18That's what you're telling me, right?
16:19I, uh, that's, yes.
16:21Okay, $340.
16:22That's a lot of money to be asking for back.
16:24I mean, I'll give it to you.
16:25Farrow didn't just mimic Washington's voice.
16:28He captured the Oscar winner's mannerisms, cadences, and signature intensity so precisely.
16:34It was like watching Denzel play himself.
16:37The impression first turned heads in the Returns and Exchanges sketch.
16:40Overnight, he was branded the show's new master impressionist.
16:44While his catalog would grow to include everyone from Barack Obama to Kanye West, it was his
16:49pitch-perfect Denzel that proved he could stand shoulder to shoulder with the best of
16:53his peers in SNL history.
16:54So you calling me a liar, right?
16:56No, no, no, I didn't call you a liar.
16:58It sounded like it to me, huh?
17:00Let me tell you something, don't you ever in your life call me a liar.
17:04But I didn't, I just wanted to return my...
17:07Oh, yes, you did.
17:09Number 8.
17:10Cecily Strong as Jeanine Pirro.
17:12I'm Judge Jeanine Pirro, and I just want to thank the brave sponsors who stuck with me
17:19despite the accusations by the radical loony left.
17:23To companies like Jeep, I say, thank you.
17:26And to Mitsubishi, I say, domo arigato, Cobra Kai.
17:32Some impressions are tough because everyone knows the subject.
17:35Others are tough because hardly anyone does.
17:38Cecily Strong's Jeanine Pirro fell firmly into the latter camp.
17:42There's a new sheriff in town, and the president's sending a message to every terrorist and gangbanger
17:48out there. You better buckle up. We're coming for you.
17:52The longtime Fox News host and judge wasn't exactly a household name outside of politics,
17:58making Strong's ability to build a recurring impression around her all the more impressive.
18:02Twenty years ago, I yelled at a waiter because my Cobb salad had a cranberry in it, and now
18:09I'm locked at this volume every day for the rest of my life.
18:13Well, it's rumored that Fox has only kept you on the air because Donald Trump personally
18:18called the network on your behalf.
18:19Yes, that is because Donald Trump is a class act.
18:23Strong leaned into Pirro's fiery monologues, sharp hand gestures, and unapologetic bravado,
18:30transforming a niche political personality into a one-woman show.
18:34The impression typically found Strong as Pirro downing multiple glasses of booze while ranting,
18:39teetering on the edge of chaos, but never breaking character.
18:43The sheer commitment and precision turned a difficult, hyper-specific target into one of her
18:48signature roles.
18:49Look at this. This is Janine has brought her files, and she's ready to work.
18:53Oh, no. This? It's a cozy for my Merlozy.
18:58See, she always comes prepared. And that rhymed. I like that.
19:02Thank you. Wow-wee. Sweet justice.
19:08Number seven, Bill Hader as Keith Morrison.
19:11Sarah Halliman's boyfriend was into drugs and getting mixed up with some gangbangers.
19:18But one night, he just didn't come home.
19:22I looked for him for weeks and weeks. Finally, the police called me and they found his car.
19:28Bill Hader's range of impressions was staggering, but few were as oddly specific and oddly perfect
19:34as his take on Dateline NBC host Keith Morrison.
19:38Hader parodies the Canadian broadcasting legend's stately demeanor as being ghoulishly fascinated by the
19:43true crime stories he narrates, leaning all the way into those quirks.
19:47And when I came to, my leg was gone.
19:52Oh. Did you find it?
19:56No. It had been eaten.
19:59Oh, no.
20:02I'm sorry. Are you smiling?
20:05No. I'm horrified.
20:07Horrified.
20:08With his head tilted, eyebrows raised, and a sing-song cadence that turned grim details
20:14into almost gleeful punchlines, Hader captured exactly what makes Morrison such a singular
20:19TV presence.
20:20How horrified those wealthy folk would have been.
20:23Had they known the deadly secret officer Wilson was about to expose?
20:28On the wrong end of America Street.
20:31That too creepy?
20:32Let's take the temperature of the room here for a second. Hang on.
20:35What do you think, Bill?
20:36What could have been a niche, throwaway impression became one of Hader's standout recurring bits,
20:41proving his gift for spotting the eccentricities others might overlook.
20:45By making even tragedy sound cheerful, Hader nailed an impression both difficult and unforgettable.
20:52She had murdered her neighbors.
20:53Oh, yeah. Oh, no.
21:08Do you get some sort of strange delight in all this?
21:12I do.
21:13Number six, James Austin Johnson as Donald Trump.
21:17I'm in my king era.
21:20But just like the founding fathers, I am creating a new country as well.
21:24And just like them, we're doing it very whitely.
21:28D.E.I. is over.
21:30It's dead.
21:31Workplaces must go back to looking like the TV show The Office.
21:35Mostly white people, but with one funny black guy who's having a really bad time.
21:39By the time Nashville native Johnson joined SNL in 2021,
21:43Donald Trump impressions had been done to death.
21:46But Johnson's version was so eerily accurate, it felt like the bar had been reset.
21:50Where others leaned on caricature, Johnson nailed the fine details, the wandering tangents, the rambling syntax, even the sing-song
21:59cadence of Trump's voice.
22:00Can I get 60 seconds on the Glock, please?
22:03Because there's a lot of times where I was giving advice.
22:06A lot of times I was giving advice and people weren't listening.
22:09And it didn't work out so great for some of those people, okay?
22:11I mean, when you look back with Star Wars, I said, you need to do it with swords.
22:16The laces are not enough.
22:18The result was less parody and more uncanny imitation.
22:21So much so that many called it the most accurate Trump impression ever done on the show.
22:26Look at Lynn.
22:27He got tricked into coming here and now he's frozen on stage.
22:30Oh, he's furious.
22:32But I'm back in the White House, just in time.
22:36Everything is back to how it was.
22:38Except now my new favorite son is barren.
22:41And he is smacking his head on every doorframe.
22:44Oh, it's bad.
22:45It was literally his ticket to SNL.
22:47Johnson was hired almost entirely on the strength of his viral Trump videos.
22:52In a sea of lookalikes, his impression stood out because it sounded indistinguishably real.
22:57Lynn Manuel, Miranda Cosgrove, there he is.
23:01He's such a moran.
23:04Well, in conclusion, it's been a great week.
23:07I basically had all my campaign promises except for the one people cared about, price of eggs.
23:13All time high.
23:14Who would have thought it'd be easier to get a ceasefire in Gaza?
23:17Number five, Melissa Villasenor as Lady Gaga.
23:21Tell me something, girl.
23:25Are you happy in this modern world?
23:30Melissa Villasenor brought an impressionist toolkit to SNL, with a repertoire that ranged
23:35from pop divas to movie stars.
23:38But one of her finest, and funniest, was her take on Lady Gaga.
23:42Villasenor didn't just mimic Gaga's voice.
23:45She bottled the singer's innately theatrical delivery and penchant for dominating the spotlight.
23:49When I heard the song for the first time this morning, I just, I felt like I was...
23:57Falling
24:00In all the good times I find myself longing for change
24:07The bit reached its comedic peak during a Weekend Update appearance, wherein Villasenor
24:13insisted she wasn't doing a Gaga impression, while clearly doing a spot-on Gaga impression.
24:18The sketch became a showcase for her uncanny ear and genuine musical chops, proof that Villasenor
24:24could transform a larger-than-life star into a hilarious character without turning her into
24:29caricature.
24:29In the shadow of the light alone, in the shadow of the light alone, in the shadow of the light
24:44Wait, that was, that was Kyle's whole part, that was it?
24:48Number 4, Maya Rudolph as Beyoncé
25:08Plenty of SNL impressions thrive on exaggeration, but Maya Rudolph's Beyoncé works because it
25:14feels both affectionate and just slightly unhinged. Rudolph has long been celebrated for her musicality
25:20and larger-than-life characters, and her Queen Bee impression showcases both.
25:25It's very surreal, and it's been 25 years of just working really hard and trying my best
25:33to keep growing and keep opening up doors, so I'm just very honored.
25:38Where she really shines is in the recurring Hot Ones parody sketches, where her perfectly poised
25:44Beyoncé slowly unravels under the heat of progressively spicier wings.
25:48Ooh, this isn't helping. Water makes it worse. Why is it worse?
25:58Ooh, got my ass drinking milk now.
26:05Watching the usually composed superstar lose her cool, while still trying to maintain that iconic
26:10elegance became instant comedy gold. Rudolph's impression succeeds because it doesn't mock
26:16Beyoncé. It magnifies her aura, and then cleverly lets the format chip away at it. The result? One of her
26:23most memorable recurring roles. You need to shut your Charlie Brown looking ass up for a minute, and you need
26:28to listen to me.
26:32Beyoncé about to do something very human, so I need you to blur my face in three, two, one.
26:42Number 3. Kristen Wiig as Björk
26:45Greetings, Snarf. How is your skeleton?
26:52Uh, good? How's your skeleton?
26:55It's itchy.
26:58Okay.
26:59Kristen Wiig's Björk was an unexpectedly perfect fit, a culmination of everything else the SNL legend had tackled.
27:05The Icelandic singer is already one of pop's most eccentric personalities. Known for her whimsical
27:11speech patterns and surreal imagery, and Wiig leaned all the way in.
27:16It's very bad. Many Icelanders cannot afford basic necessities, like Sklarch and Flerb.
27:23That sounds grim.
27:25It is the worst tragedy in our nation's history. Worse than the great Norwalk robbery of 1301, or the reindeer
27:32uprising of 2012.
27:34She would drift through interviews in chittering tones about befriending woodland creatures.
27:39Nonsense that somehow still felt like something Björk herself might actually say.
27:44A lot of people won't know who you are. Could you describe yourself?
27:47I'm, uh, an Icelandic housewife in the 20s, who, uh, just moved away from the island.
27:57It's a deceptively difficult impression, because it's not just about mimicking a voice. It's about embodying an otherworldly persona.
28:05Wiig captured the electronic music trailblazers' idiosyncratic magic perfectly, making her Björk a cult favorite recurring character.
28:12The Prime Minister took all of our money and tied it to a horse, and then took the horse and
28:18ran it into the ocean.
28:20Ah, can't believe that backfired. So, um, how did your country rebound from this, uh, collapse?
28:26First, I think we should change our currency. Instead of using paper money, I think we should pay for things
28:32with clouds.
28:33Number two, Kate McKinnon as Hillary Clinton.
28:37Hello, Huma. Why won't the people just let me lead?
28:42No, you know what?
28:43Just give me the hammer and the nails and let me fix it all.
28:46Hillary, I think that you've heard enough in here. Let's get out of here.
28:50Oh, you go ahead. I'm gonna have one more drink.
28:52Some public figures are born to be impersonated. Hillary Clinton is not one of them.
28:58Her stately, measured demeanor makes her a tough target for comedy.
29:01There's no wild voice or exaggerated quirk to latch onto.
29:06That's exactly why Kate McKinnon's impression stands out.
29:11Rough night?
29:12Yeah, you could say that.
29:14Hi, I'm Hillary Rodham Clinton.
29:17Hey, great name. I'm Val.
29:21So, Hillary, what brings you here tonight?
29:24Well, I needed to blow off some steam. I've had a hard couple of 22 years.
29:28Rather than going broad, McKinnon zeroed in on Clinton's polished mannerisms and steely determination,
29:34then twisted them just enough to reveal the vulnerability and awkwardness beneath.
29:40Why? What do you do for a living?
29:42Well, first, I'm a grandmother. And second, I am a human entrusted with this one green earth.
29:50Oh, I get it. You're a politician.
29:53Yes, yes. And how about you?
29:57Well, me? I'm just an ordinary citizen who believes the Keystone pipeline will destroy our environment.
30:03Whether portraying her as unflappable and ambitious or nervously relatable,
30:08McKinnon managed to make a career politician funny without veering into outright parody.
30:12Her Hillary became a central figure in SNL's 2016 election coverage,
30:17showing how even the most quote-unquote bland subjects can be mined for rich, enduring comedy in the right hands.
30:23You know, nothing wrong with taking your time. What's important is getting it right.
30:28Yep. I'll drink to that. God, I love a scalding hot vodka.
30:33You know, I just realized I never checked your ID.
30:38ID? Come on, please. I have a one-year-old granddaughter.
30:43She calls me Madam President.
30:46Number one, Tina Fey as Sarah Palin.
30:49Good evening, my fellow Americans.
30:53I was so excited when I was told Senator Clinton and I would be addressing you tonight.
31:01And I was told I would be addressing you alone.
31:05Every so often, an SNL impression becomes bigger than the show itself.
31:09That was the case when Tina Fey returned to Studio 8H in 2008 to play then-vice presidential candidate Sarah
31:15Palin.
31:15You know, Hillary and I don't agree on everything.
31:22I believe that diplomacy should be the cornerstone of any foreign policy.
31:28And I can see Russia from my house.
31:31What made it so difficult is what also made it iconic.
31:34Palin wasn't a decades-long public figure with well-established tics.
31:38She was brand new to the national stage.
31:41And Fey had to find the comedy in real time.
31:43What insight into Russian actions, particularly in the last couple of weeks,
31:47does the proximity of the state give you?
31:49They're our next-door neighbors.
31:51And you can actually see Russia from land here in Alaska.
31:55Her genius lay in amplifying Palin's folksy cadences, pageant queen smiles,
32:00and overconfident charm until they became instantly recognizable.
32:04The impression was so dead-on that many viewers still conflate Fey's parody lines with Palin's real quotes.
32:10While our politics may differ, my friend and I are both very tough ladies.
32:16You know, it reminds me of a joke we tell in Alaska.
32:20Oh, boy.
32:22What's the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull?
32:26Lipstick.
32:28Lipstick.
32:28There you go.
32:29Which SNL impression left you absolutely floored?
32:32Let us know in the comments below.
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