‘Saturday Night Live’ #TBT: Hail to These 5 ‘SNL’ Presidential Impressions
With Presidents’ Day is just around the corner, let’s celebrate by honoring the amazing and hilarious presidential impressions on Saturday Night Live over the years.
SNL’s presidents have ranked among the most memorable characters in its four decades. It’s no surprise that the late-night sketch show has seen a resurgence in ratings lately, with a lot of credit going to Alec Baldwin’s impression of the current president.
Related: ‘Saturday Night Live’ Recap: Melissa McCarthy Returns to Troll Trump
So, let’s take a trip through the Oval Office time machine for great moments in poking fun at POTUS:
Alec Baldwin as Donald Trump
Baldwin isn’t a cast member, but the frequent host (last week was his record-setting 17th time) first stepped in as Trump in October with this brilliant, almost eerily accurate take on the then-Republican candidate’s performance at a debate against Hillary Clinton.
Fred Armisen as Barack Obama
Armisen perfectly captured Obama’s measured speaking style and cool-cat demeanor, and, in this Cosby Show-parody sketch, his dad-ness.
Will Ferrell as George W. Bush
Ferrell played Dubya as a goofy, cocky frat boy — you know, the kind who’s super confident about how awesome he is and unaware that he’s actually not.
Darrell Hammond as Bill Clinton
Hammond’s sleazy, yet charming Clinton impersonation was so good, SNL brought him back for a memorable sketch featuring the real Hillary Clinton last fall.
Dana Carvey as George H.W. Bush
Carvey’s Bush was perhaps the most memorable of presidential impressions. His take on Bush wasn’t always physically or even verbally accurate, but he captured the essence of the elder Bush’s personality — and even helped define it for the public.
SNL returns with host Octavia Spencer on March 4.
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