SNL: 25 Times a Celebrity Confronted Their Impression on Air — Watch
It’s been a Saturday Night Live tradition for decades now: A cast member does a killer impression of a celebrity… and then the real celebrity joins them on stage.
SNL has been home to celebrity impersonations since the very beginning, with Chevy Chase playing an accident-prone President Gerald Ford. And with SNL’s status as a sketch comedy institution, we’ve seen a staggering number of celebrities come through Studio 8H as well, either as hosts or via a surprise cameo. That’s led to more than a few instances where the Saturday Night Live impressionist is confronted by their real-life counterpart — and they’re not always happy with what they see, either. (It’s all in good fun, of course. Although who knows what George H.W. Bush really thought about Dana Carvey’s version of him?)
More from TVLine
As SNL celebrates its 50th birthday with a star-studded anniversary special this Sunday on NBC (8/7c), we thought we’d look back on all the times a celebrity crossed paths with their SNL impersonation on the show. We dug deep into the archives for this one, with big names from movies (Nicolas Cage, Jim Carrey), TV (Jennifer Aniston, Jerry Seinfeld), music (Mick Jagger, Stevie Wonder) and politics (Sarah Palin, Bob Dole) all showing up to stand face-to-face with their SNL parody.
Read on to see more than two dozen celebrities who stopped by to confront their SNL impression — we’ve added video, too, so you can watch — and hit the comments to tell us your favorites.
Jennifer Aniston
Oh, hi! Vanessa Bayer took us right back to Central Perk with her spot-on impression of Aniston’s character Rachel from the NBC hit Friends. But Aniston didn’t seem to be a fan when she dropped by Weekend Update in 2016, playfully asking Bayer to stop doing the bit: “I do not sound like that!” It led to the two dueling Anistons bickering in matching voices until they both harmonized with a final “Oh, Ross!”
Tony Bennett
SNL staple Alec Baldwin showed off his pipes with his impression of the velvet-voiced crooner, seen in the recurring talk show parody “The Tony Bennett Show” that debuted in 2002. He came face-to-face with the real thing in 2006 when Bennett himself joined the show, playing an entertainer named Anthony Benedetto. (That’s Bennett’s real name, by the way.) It’s a delight just seeing those two share the screen, exchanging polite compliments and teaming up for an ad for… well, nail fungus medication.
George H.W. Bush
One of SNL’s most enduring impressions was Dana Carvey’s hilariously whiny take on President George H.W. Bush. (“Not gonna do it!”) When Carvey returned to host SNL in 1994, he came out for his monologue dressed as Bush — and was interrupted by the real Bush, who voiced his displeasure with Carvey’s version of him. He didn’t much care for the Church Lady, either. (Watch the sketch here.)
Nicolas Cage
The famously intense actor got sent up by SNL’s Andy Samberg, who appeared as Cage in a recurring Weekend Update segment called “Get in the Cage,” where Cage chatted with fellow actors about their craft. In 2013, that fellow actor turned out to be… Cage himself! (Their hairlines certainly matched.) The real Cage was introduced as a clone of Samberg’s Cage, but he managed to get in a shot at Samberg’s impression, calling him “an exaggerated, screaming psychopath who really just doesn’t exist.” Don’t make him angry, Andy!
Jim Carrey
The jokester had to endure not just one but a half-dozen impressions of himself in a 2014 family reunion sketch, which saw Carrey catch up with his relatives, all of whom mimicked one of Carrey’s signature roles. (Cecily Strong’s Fire Marshal Bill impression was priceless.) The highlight, though, was Carrey’s Dumb and Dumber co-star Jeff Daniels popping in to prove he could even out-Carrey the man himself. Alrighty, then!
Hillary Clinton
The former First Lady and presidential candidate has been in the public eye so long, she’s actually confronted two different SNL cast members who did an impression of her. First in 2008, Hillary dropped by to share the screen with Amy Poehler, dressed in matching pantsuits to boot. (Watch the sketch here.) And then in 2015, Hillary returned to play a bartender named Val, slinging drinks to Kate McKinnon’s version of her — and joining her for a rousing rendition of “Lean on Me.” (Watch a clip from that sketch here.)
Joe Cocker
Early on in SNL’s run, the raspy-voiced rocker served as musical guest for a 1976 episode, singing his classic “Feelin’ Alright” — and getting upstaged by cast member John Belushi, who took the mic as Cocker, singing a verse and chugging a beer during the guitar solo. (Watch the performance here.)
Miley Cyrus
Hey y’all! Vanessa Bayer’s impression of the former Hannah Montana was “pretty cool,” but you know what was even cooler? When Cyrus herself showed up in 2013 to send up her controversial VMA performance — which may have ended humanity as we know it — with Bayer’s squeaky-clean Miley trying to warn her to clean up her act. (Good luck with that.)
Zooey Deschanel
The adorkable New Girl star got lampooned on SNL by cast member Abby Elliott with her recurring talk show sketch, “Bein’ Quirky With Zooey Deschanel.” In 2012, Deschanel herself joined the talk show, playing the terminally trendy Mary-Kate Olsen. The two quirk queens compared thrift store duds and knitted things out of yarn — all to the strains of a ukulele, of course.
Bob Dole
Like Hillary, Dole survived in D.C. long enough to see multiple SNL impressions of him come and go. Dan Aykroyd played the U.S. Senator in the ‘80s, and Norm Macdonald took over in the mid-‘90s as Dole ran against President Bill Clinton. He didn’t win, but he did drop by SNL to offer Macdonald some constructive criticism on his impression: “I don’t run around saying ‘Bob Dole does this, and ‘Bob Dole does that.’ That’s not something Bob Dole does!” (Watch a clip from the sketch here.)
Michael J. Fox
The Back to the Future star hosted SNL in 1991 and found himself in a time-travel paradox during his monologue, with cast member Dana Carvey playing a Fox from the future warning him not to do the show. They hopped in the DeLorean and went back in time, where David Spade played a third Fox. Great Scott! (Watch a clip from the sketch here.)
Kamala Harris
Just days before the 2024 presidential election, where Harris squared off against Donald Trump, she stopped by SNL to offer a last-minute pep talk to herself, via Maya Rudolph’s impression of her. The two laughed it up together and promised to “end the drama-la” on election night — but after Harris fell short like Dole and Hillary Clinton did, maybe candidates should just steer clear of their SNL impressions from now on?
Kevin Hart
The pint-size comedian got an extra-large surprise in a 2015 SNL sketch, finding out that he had a son he didn’t know about from a one-night stand. And judging by cast member Jay Pharaoh’s motor-mouthed delivery and hyperactive hand gestures as Hart’s son Marcus, we definitely saw the resemblance. They even had matching leather jackets! (Although in very different sizes.)
Mick Jagger
The Rolling Stones rock god has been appearing on SNL since the ‘70s, and he’s survived long enough to witness two different impressions of himself. In a 1993 Weekend Update segment, Jagger played bandmate Keith Richards while cast member Mike Myers pouted and strutted as Mick — watch the sketch here — and then in 2001, Jagger faced (and pointed at) Jimmy Fallon’s impersonation of him in a dressing room mirror.
Judge Judy
The famous TV judge dropped by SNL in 1998 to take on cast member Cheri Oteri’s impression of her, and her verdict? Not impressed. “Get your bony ass outta that chair,” the real Judy ordered as she took over the proceedings and ruled in favor of Lucy Lawless’ stripper. (Watch the sketch here.)
John Malkovich
Bill Hader was a master impressionist during his time on SNL, and he managed to nail Malkovich’s regal manner of speaking while playing Italian talk show host Vinny Vedecci in a 2008 sketch. When Vinny offered up his own Malkovich impersonation, Malkovich himself protested: “I don’t sound anything like that.” But Vinny insisted: “No, no, you sound exactly like this.”
Sarah Palin
One of SNL’s most famous parodies ever was Tina Fey’s eerily perfect take on VP candidate Sarah Palin during the 2008 presidential campaign. The impression took on such a life of its own that Palin herself visited the show that year to complain about it to SNL boss Lorne Michaels — and Fey’s 30 Rock co-star Alec Baldwin even mistook Palin for Fey.
Joe Pesci
SNL cast member Jim Breuer had a recurring bit where he played the GoodFellas actor as a talk show host, and the Italian stereotypes ran thick — until Pesci and his pal Robert De Niro stopped by the show in 1997 to take issue with their portrayals. Breuer and Colin Quinn instantly clammed up, but that didn’t stop Pesci and De Niro from beating some sense into them. (Watch the sketch here.)
Janet Reno
Will Ferrell poked fun at Bill Clinton’s Attorney General with his recurring SNL sketch, “Janet Reno’s Dance Party,” playing Reno as a deep-voiced brute who smashes through walls like the Kool-Aid Man. But Reno herself got the last laugh, showing up in a 2001 episode to announce, “It’s Reno time!” before joining Ferrell for a celebratory boogie. (Watch the sketch here.)
Adam Sandler
The Sandman has such a distinctive way of speaking — even Nikki Glaser was imitating him at this year’s Golden Globes — that SNL pummeled him with a barrage of impressions in a 2019 sketch, with Sandler attending a raucous family reunion. There were some deep cuts in there (Little Nicky?), and even musical guest Shawn Mendes got in on the act. Jimmy Fallon topped them all, though, with a Sandler impression that even had the man himself cracking up.
Jerry Seinfeld
We really do have to tip our hat to Fallon: When he wasn’t giggling his way through sketches, he had some killer impressions on SNL, including this pitch-perfect take on Seinfeld in 1999 as he and the real thing tackled campaign finance reform on Weekend Update. They were supposed to debate — but they ended up agreeing on everything! (Watch the sketch here.)
Alex Trebek
If you’re questioning what the best SNL game show parody of all time is, the answer has to be “Celebrity Jeopardy.” Will Ferrell played exasperated host Alex Trebek as he dealt with idiotic celebrities (especially Darrell Hammond’s Sean Connery), and for Ferrell’s final SNL episode in 2002, Trebek himself stopped by to say farewell — and to fire back at Connery after one of his crude insults. (Watch the sketch here.)
Christopher Walken
The famously eccentric Walken might be one of the most imitated celebs out there, and SNL took full advantage with a 2008 family reunion sketch that saw Walken catch up with his equally weird relatives. Bill Hader’s Walken was peerless, of course, but we also loved Amy Poehler’s baby doll-clutching Maxine, who blessed us with this classic line: “I hate ghosts. They’re spooky, and I don’t respond well to spooky behavior.”
Robin Williams
It wasn’t easy to match the manic energy of Robin Williams in his prime, but SNL cast member Dana Carvey went full Mork in this 1988 sketch, playing a son visiting an aging Williams on his birthday. Carvey bounced off the walls in rainbow suspenders, rattling off so many comedy bits at lightning speed that the elder Williams sighed: “I should’ve worn a prophylactic.” (Watch the sketch here.)
Stevie Wonder
Eddie Murphy carried SNL on his back in the early ‘80s, and in this 1983 sketch, he showed off impressive pipes, too, as he played a Stevie Wonder impersonator right next to the man himself, firing off a beautiful rendition of Wonder’s hit “My Cherie Amour.” After some early stumbles, Wonder sang it back to him perfectly, but Murphy wasn’t a fan: “That sucked, man.” (Watch a clip from the sketch here.)
Best of TVLine
Sign up for TVLine's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Solve the daily Crossword
