How many people have impersonated Joe Biden on Saturday Night Live, and what differentiates the performances? In November 2020, the Democrat politician was elected as the next U.S. president, which sparked discussions about his long-term portrayal on the NBC sketch comedy series. One month later, Saturday Night Live introduced their latest Biden actor.
Since 1991, six different actors have impersonated Biden. In 2008, he became more relevant to show upon being elected as the 47th Vice President of the United States and serving under Barack Obama. Since 2016, however, Saturday Night Live's political focus has largely centered on Donald Trump, who was so memorably portrayed by Alec Baldwin, and always provided weekly material to parody.
Moving forward, the Saturday Night Live cold open sketches will undoubtedly feature Biden, yet other figures will probably be the primary source of comedy. Still, curious Americans and loyal fans from all over the world will tune in to see how the NBC show reacts to political news in a post-Trump era.
During Saturday Night Live season 17, cast member Kevin Nealon portrayed Biden in a cold open sketch, which focused on Clarence Thomas' Supreme Court nomination and an allegation of sexual harassment from attorney Anita Hill. The sketch begins with Senator Biden of Delaware commending Hill for hours of sex-themed testimony, with the joke being that he and his colleagues would like to schedule her again the following day. The comedy doesn't quite hold up well nearly 30 years later, yet it does indeed highlight the good ol' boy nature of the American judicial system.
As Biden, Nealon essentially uses his normal speaking voice. He also relies on the dry humor that he utilized while hosting the Weekend Update segment on Saturday Night Live. Overall, Nealon doesn't quite capture any of Biden's personality traits, but rather focuses on adopting the demeanor of a traditional male politician. Saturday Night Live also ignores the small details, such as Biden's clothing and his hair part. It's a general characterization across the board.
When Biden served as the U.S. Vice President under Barack Obama, he was portrayed several times by Jason Sudeikis between 2007 and 2013. The former Saturday Night Live cast member reprised his role three more times in 2019 and 2020, with his last appearance coming in the 13th episode of season 45. In the February 2020 sketch "New Hampshire Democratic Debate Cold Open," Sudeikis portrays Biden as fast-talking man who often behaves inappropriately.
Sudeikis' interpretation of Biden involves a slight growl and lots of bravado. He doesn't quite capture Biden's vocal rhythm, and instead frames him as a fast-talkin' good ol' boy. For comedic inspiration, Sudeikis seems to imagine Biden as a southerner, when in fact the politician is from Scranton, Pennsylvania, in the American northeast. However, the Saturday Night Live performer effectively underline Biden's tendency to laugh at opponents during debates. During a 2008 appearance on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Sudeikis revealed that the key to his impression is the teeth.
Woody Harrelson portrayed Biden three times during Saturday Night Live season 45. In the September 2019 clip "DNC Town Hall," he states "Daddy's here, America" during the introduction, and later tries to secure the gay vote during "CNN Equality Town Hall Cold Open" the following month. Then, in November 2019, Harrelson's Biden told America that they shouldn't worry about him saying anything distasteful, a concept that later became less relevant during debate skits featuring Alec Baldwin's Trump.
As Biden, Harrelson similarly accentuates the subject's mouth and teeth like Sudeikis. He seems to understand the power of a "permagrin", which is indeed utilized by Biden (and so many other politicians) when speaking to their constituency. Harrelson displays more polish than Sudeikis; however, his vocal impression on Saturday Night Live mostly involves his natural speaking voice. Still, it's much better than Nealon's non-impression. Harrelson also taps into Biden's vocal patterns, along with his confidence when speaking about topics that he doesn't necessarily understand. Whereas Sudeikis' Biden feels like a gruff southerner, Harrelson's version is more of a wink-of-the-eye everyman figure.
John Mulaney, a former Saturday Night Live writer, portrayed Biden when he hosted on February 29, 2020. In the season 45 sketch "Coronavirus Cold Open," U.S. Vice President Mike Pence (Beck Bennett) holds a press conference about the coronavirus and takes questions from democratic presidential candidates Michael Bloomberg (Fred Armisen), Bernie Sanders (Larry David), Elizabeth Warren (Kate McKinnon), Pete Buttigieg (Colin Jost) and Amy Klobuchar (Rachel Dratch), and Mulaney's Biden.
During a 30-second appearance, Mulaney provides a non-impression like the aforementioned Nealon. He uses his rather distinct natural speaking voice, and tells a story about Biden having fun with Nelson Mandela. Of course, the joke is that Mulaney doesn't try whatsoever to authentically impersonate the subject, but rather takes the opportunity to provide some comedic misdirection. The wig is a nice touch, but there's little effort to match the quality of previous characterizations. Without the video context, the audio might suggest that it's a actually a clip of Andrew Glouberman from Big Mouth (who is voiced by Mulaney).
Jim Carrey portrayed Biden in six episodes of Saturday Night Live season 46. At first, the comedy icon delivered a somewhat restrained performance in "First Debate Cold Open," but then progressively became more animated as the U.S. presidential election process intensified. The impression didn't go over that well on social media, and Carrey revealed on December 19, 2020 that he would no longer be portraying Biden, as he only agreed to appear in six Saturday Night Live episodes. Carrey also noted that, "I would love to go forward knowing that Biden was the victor because I nailed that sh*t."
With all due respect to Carrey, he didn't nail a spot-on Biden impression but rather relied on his Fire Marshall Bill characterization from the '90s sketch comedy series In Living Color. Unlike previous Biden performers, though, Carrey actually paid attention to the vocal nuances and vocal patterns that initially made the impression so intriguing. However, Carrey ultimately channeled the manic energy of his most famous movie roles from the '90s, which suggested that he was more interested in celebrating his cultural persona than delivering an authentic impersonation.
Saturday Night Live cast member Alex Moffat made his Biden debut on December 19, 2020. In the season 46 sketch "Pence Gets the Vaccine Cold Open," U.S. Vice President Mike Pence (Beck Bennett) receives the COVID-19 vaccine on live television. Midway through, Moffat shows up as Biden, which prompts Pence to note that he looks "different" - a reference to Carrey's previous impersonation. Moffat initially walks with a cane but then tosses it aside and does a somersault during his introduction, which suggests that his characterization will be fresh and not rely on the same clichés.
During Moffat's first appearance - which lasts approximately one minute - he impressively captures Biden's speech patterns, most notably the fact that he sometimes appears to slur his words. That's not the foundation for the humor, of course, but rather just one authentic aspect of the characterization. Moffat's Biden is calmer than previous versions, as the performer locks in on the subject's actual physical movements. Sudeikis focused on the teeth, and Harrelson prioritized the politician smile, but Moffat's Biden impression on Saturday Night Live is layered and grounded in the present.
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