Flattered, honored, blown away, pleasantly tickled, a little annoyed, mildly disappointed, decidedly unamused: Usually one of those is to some degree how a celebrity feels about being impersonated on Saturday Night Live.
Even easily irked President Donald Trump sang the praises of Darrell Hammond, calling him “much funnier and a far greater talent” than Alec Baldwin, who took over during Trump’s 2016 presidential run and stayed on as a guest actor for several years (and won an Emmy for his efforts).
Baldwin called it “agony” playing the commander-in-chief, who was sworn in again last month, while Trump countered by saying it was “agony for those forced to watch.”
So, win some, lose some. (And Trump surprisingly hasn’t shared what he thinks of James Austin Johnson‘s current incarnation.)
But impersonations, some more uncanny than others, have been part of the lifeblood of the iconic NBC sketch series since its inception in 1975, the SNL cast—and assorted guests—parodying politicians, actors, singers, talk show hosts, reality stars and all manner of public figures for the last 50 years.
And with so many stars of the show past and present lined up to appear on SNL50: The Anniversary Special, airing live Feb. 16 on NBC and Peacock, who isn’t looking forward to a trip down classic-impressions lane?
