Not everyone appreciates being the butt of the joke. Join us as we count down the "Saturday Night Live" impressions that rubbed their real-life counterparts the wrong way. From political figures to celebrities, these portrayals struck a nerve and sparked controversy. Which impression do you think went too far?
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00:00Boom boom pow, right?"
00:01Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most distorted SNL
00:06impressions that got under the skin of the real people themselves.
00:10Katie, I'd like to use one of my lifelines."
00:14Number 10. Barbara Walters, performed by Gilda Radner
00:18Getting impersonated on Saturday Night Live can either feel like a compliment
00:22or a slap in the face, depending on who you ask.
00:25Dr. Kissinger, you once said that power is the greatest aphrodisiac.
00:30What exactly do you mean by this?"
00:32For legendary broadcast journalist Barbara Walters, it was more of the latter.
00:37From the show's very first season, Walters was parodied by cast member Gilda Radner,
00:42who exaggerated her speaking style and dubbed the character Bawa Wawa.
00:47You refer to yourself as a gunswinger, sort of a lone wanger of foreign policy."
00:53The sketch was a hit with audiences, but not so much with Walters herself.
00:57She initially detested the exaggerated speech impediment,
01:00and worried that the caricature might stick.
01:03After 40 years of being in this country, why do you still talk with that silly, silly accent?"
01:09But one night, she stumbled upon her young daughter watching the show,
01:13who casually told her to,
01:14"...lighten up about the portrayal."
01:16That small nudge completely changed Walters' perspective.
01:20"...thank you very much, this is Bawa Wawa saying have a pleasant weekend."
01:239. Fran Lebowitz
01:26Performed by Bowen Yang
01:28No one is safe from an SNL impression, not even if you're someone like Fran Lebowitz,
01:33who acts like technology is out to get her.
01:35"...people frequently are infuriated by me because I'm filled with opinions."
01:40In 2021, the author and public speaker was played by Bowen Yang in a Weekend Update bit
01:46that spoofed her Netflix docuseries Pretend It's a City with Martin Scorsese.
01:51"...I've been so bored at home, I was about to get married to my cufflinks."
01:55At first, Lebowitz claimed she hadn't watched the episode,
01:58but she later admitted her distaste for the portrayal,
02:02saying that only people who have never been parodied would enjoy such a caricature.
02:06"...and the people who went to these talks, they were children. They'd ask me,
02:09should I be a writer? Should I be a filmmaker? I say, no, you should be something useful.
02:14Be a piece of melon wrapped in prosciutto!"
02:16Ironically, her disapproval of this impression was well-received by Yang,
02:21who considered it the highest praise he could have gotten from her.
02:24"...I wear it as a badge of honor that she did not like my portrayal of her."
02:29Number 8. Ann Miller, performed by Molly Shannon
02:33Even the most spot-on SNL impressions can sometimes still hit a nerve,
02:37especially if you're the one being impersonated.
02:40"...welcome to Leg Up, a show for dancers, about dancers, with two dancers who love to dance!"
02:47That seems to have been the case for Ann Miller. The late actress and dancer was played by Molly
02:52Shannon in a recurring sketch titled, Leg Up, alongside Cheri O'Terry as Debbie Reynolds.
02:58"...you look fabulous."
03:00"...oh, well you know, Annie, I'm gonna sign for that compliment and FedEx one right back,
03:03because your skin is about as tight as Liz Taylor's Levi's!"
03:06While the bit quickly became a fan favorite, Miller wasn't exactly thrilled about it.
03:11According to Shannon, her main issue was the character's habit of sliding into dirty jokes
03:16and celebrity gossip, which didn't sit well with her.
03:19"...well, don't worry, you can rent it, honey."
03:21"...Annie, you can't rent a Broadway show, sweetheart!"
03:24"...no, I meant me, $250 an hour!"
03:26Still, it did put her back on the radar for young audiences, so that at least counts for something.
03:32Number 7. Meghan McCain, performed by Aidy Bryant
03:36Not everyone walks away from an SNL impression unscathed. Just ask Meghan McCain. The daughter
03:42of the late Arizona Senator John McCain, she found herself portrayed by Aidy Bryant,
03:47who dubbed her the Princess of Arizona.
03:50"...there is a crisis at the border, and the border is right up in my Arizona,
03:56which was founded on sunburnt women selling turquoise jewelry."
04:01Bryant's impression poked fun at McCain's tenure on the panel of The View,
04:05depicting her as a bit of a spoiled brat.
04:07"...well, can you let me talk? Because it's actually your job to listen to me."
04:11Although she initially expressed her love for the impression, calling it a huge pop culture honor,
04:15McCain ultimately admitted that it took a toll on her,
04:19and made her feel like the laughingstock of the country.
04:21"...so, Jenny, you've been at the forefront of the anti-vaccination movement for many years,
04:28but what was the tea on the masked singer? Did you know that the pineapple was Tommy Chong?"
04:33To add insult to injury,
04:34she felt that the show was more lenient with her fellow panelists than with her.
04:38"...can you let me talk? Well, can you let me finish? Can I punch you in the face? No, no, no!"
04:44Number 6. Sean Spicer, performed by Melissa McCarthy
04:48Over the years, SNL has seen countless political impersonations,
04:52but few have left as lasting an impression as Melissa McCarthy's take on Sean Spicer.
04:58"...when I say rocky start, I mean it in the sense of Rocky the movie,
05:02because I came out here to punch you in the face, and also I don't talk so good."
05:07McCarthy sunk her teeth into the role, playing up Spicer's fiery exchanges with reporters,
05:12and she even snagged an Emmy for her performance.
05:15"...I wanted to ask about the travel ban on Muslims."
05:18"...Yeah, it's not a ban."
05:19"...I'm sorry?"
05:19"...It's not a ban. The travel ban is not a ban, which makes it not a ban."
05:24"...But you just called it a ban."
05:25"...Because I'm using your words. You said ban!"
05:28While Spicer himself found some humor in the impression, he thought it went a little too far.
05:34Speaking on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, he admitted that watching it was traumatizing enough to
05:38send him to therapy. He'd previously also noted that the gum-chewing was a tad excessive,
05:44and could have been toned down. You're entitled to your opinion, Mr. Spicer,
05:48but we have to disagree with it.
05:50"...We'll be woken up exactly one minute before tomorrow's press concert,
05:54live from New York, it's Saturday night!"
05:57"...Yeah, that already happened."
06:005. Sarah Palin
06:02Performed by Tina Fey, the real Sarah Palin may have briefly shared the stage with Tina Fey on
06:08Saturday Night Live, but don't mistake that for a stamp of approval.
06:12"...The only pole I care about is the North Pole, and that is melting. It's not great."
06:18"...What? The real one? Bye!"
06:24In reality, Palin wasn't exactly a fan of the now-iconic impression,
06:28and honestly, who can blame her? While Fey's portrayal was undeniably hilarious,
06:33and created some of the most legendary SNL moments, it was a pretty unflattering depiction
06:38of the then-governor of Alaska and vice presidential candidate.
06:42"...Well, Alaska and Russia are only separated by a narrow maritime border. You've got
06:48Alaska here, and this right here's water, and then up there's Russia. So we keep an eye on them."
06:56In fact, according to Palin, her appearance on the show was an attempt to counter the not-so-rosy
07:02picture Fey's impression had left in the public's mind.
07:05"...Thank you. Thank you."
07:08She even suggested that Fey ought to pay her for profiting off the impersonation.
07:12"...But one in five jobs being created today under the umbrella of job creation, that, you know,
07:20also..."
07:224. Lauren Boebert, performed by Chloe Fineman
07:26While some politicians are able to take their SNL impersonations in stride,
07:30some others seem to take it quite personally.
07:33"...The government has been using this fake disease to strip us of our freedom.
07:37Do they think we're dumb?"
07:38"...Please. Would they give a dumb person a gun? Yes."
07:42Case in point, U.S. Congresswoman Lauren Boebert.
07:46Boebert was the butt of the joke in this cold, open sketch featuring an impression
07:50by Chloe Fineman, alongside Cecily Strong as Marjorie Taylor Greene.
07:55"...Then they found a vaccine and said it worked. Then they said everyone should get it.
07:59Then people got it and it saved their lives. If that's not communism, then honey,
08:05I might not know what communism is."
08:07The sketch lampooned the congresswoman's love of guns and tendency to spread COVID-19
08:13misinformation. Boebert was apparently triggered by Fineman's performance, as she took to social
08:18media to label her as a no-name actress, with poor trigger discipline.
08:23"...So Merry Christmas. And remember, guns don't kill people. People, people, people."
08:30In response, Fineman shared Boebert's post to her Instagram,
08:34where she referred to the congresswoman as an actual clown.
08:373. Carole Baskin, performed by Chloe Fineman
08:41"'Hail, you cool cats and kittens, come bike with me!"
08:45It appears there's something about a Chloe Fineman impression that gets the real people
08:49riled up every time. Netflix's Tiger King became a pop culture sensation during the COVID-19
08:56lockdown, so it's inevitably got the SNL treatment. In the first At Home episode,
09:01Fineman debuted her impression of Baskin on-air after workshopping it on social media.
09:06"'Don't go too fast.'"
09:08It was a genuinely hilarious bit, with Baskin spouting her signature phrase and addressing
09:13the rumors about her missing husband.
09:16"'Riding my bike on the big kitty lake around the kitty cat preserve and I didn't kill my husband.'"
09:21But the real Baskin was not laughing. The animal rights activist is quoted as saying that she
09:26could just slap Fineman for the performance. Nevertheless, it seemed to have resonated with
09:31audiences, as fans began asking Baskin to sing in her virtual cameos afterwards.
09:37"'I like to ride by the big, big kitties and the little baby kitties.'"
09:412. Kathie Lee Gifford, performed by Kristen Wiig
09:45For most people, having the legendary Kristen Wiig impersonate them on SNL
09:49would be a career highlight. But former Today show host Kathie Lee Gifford isn't most people.
09:56"'I'm sorry.'"
09:57Gifford didn't seem to be amused back in 2009 when Wiig portrayed her as a boozy diva,
10:02making sex jokes about her husband, and constantly breaking into song.
10:07"'Oh, that's an oldie but a goodie, hoecakes. Speaking of old goodies,
10:11check out these goodie bags right here.'"
10:12While you may have been laughing at home, Gifford was fuming. The impression left her
10:17so annoyed that she hit Wiig with the ultimate insult for a comedian — unfunny.
10:22"'First up on the scoop, and this card just says take a shot of tequila.
10:29Way ahead of you, Hody Hody.'"
10:30If Kathie Lee Gifford had her way, Wiig's impressions might have been shut down for good.
10:35But thankfully, the world isn't run by her, so we got several more.
10:40"'She has a story. He has a story. Hoda has a story.
10:50And Hoda's story is boring.'"
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11:101. David Patterson
11:12Performed by Fred Armisen
11:14As the first legally blind U.S. governor, David Patterson actually handled jokes about
11:19his disability quite well. However, when he was spoofed on Saturday Night Live,
11:24Patterson believed they crossed a line.
11:26"'The person I select must be prepared to help this state face a grave economic crisis.
11:31And it's bad out there, Seth. If you don't believe me,
11:34take a look at this graph that I got here. Now, as you can see…"
11:39In the Weekend Update segment, Fred Armisen's portrayal of Patterson
11:43leaned heavily on crude stereotypes, making him appear disoriented and clownish.
11:48"'Being able to do over 140 shows with my friends and my family
11:53has been a dream come true. And from the bottom of my heart, I really…'
11:57"'Try that. Get him a $50 worth of circus tickets.'"
12:05Patterson's communications director quickly responded,
12:08calling out the show for mocking people with physical disabilities.
12:11The governor also urged them to try being funny without crossing into offensive territory. Yikes.
12:17Eventually, though, Patterson seemed to have warmed up to the portrayal,
12:21as he appeared alongside Armisen in a later Weekend Update segment to poke a little fun at himself.
12:27"'So it's true that your other senses are heightened?'
12:29"'Oh, absolutely. For example, my sense of smell
12:34tells me that there are 15 people in this audience that are from New Jersey.'"
12:39What is the single worst SNL impression you've seen over the years?
12:43Let us know in the comments below.
12:52Do you agree with our picks? Check out this other recent clip from Ms. Mojo.
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