These "SNL" impressions are even funnier when they're done in front of the actual person.
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00:00Well, in case I don't see you, good afternoon, good evening, and good night.
00:04Welcome to Ms. Mojo.
00:07And today, we're counting down our picks for the top 20 SNL impressions done in front of the actual person.
00:13Did you know I smoked salvia?
00:16You know, well, there's no reason why you wouldn't.
00:19Because it's totally legal, yo.
00:22For this list, we're looking at the funniest and most impressive impressions performed on Saturday Night Live in front of the celebrity in question.
00:30Which of these do you think is the most impressive?
00:32Let us know in the comments below.
00:35Number 20, Dana Carvey as George H.W. Bush.
00:38The 41st president of the United States was a popular target on Saturday Night Live, particularly from comedian Dana Carvey.
00:45Look, no one knows what the hell that means.
00:50And I wrote it and I don't even know.
00:52United or not divided. Let's review our strategy today.
00:56Between 1987 and 2000, Carvey impersonated Bush a total of 39 times.
01:01And during the episode of October 22, 1994, he performed his famous impersonation in front of Bush himself.
01:08During the episode's cold open, Carvey was interrupted and informed that the real Bush was on the line.
01:14He's here now?
01:15Yeah, should I put him through?
01:18All right, put him in.
01:22Dana, George Bush here.
01:24I'm watching you do your impression of me, and I gotta say, it's nothing like me.
01:29The two then argued about the merits of Carvey's impression before Bush threatened to watch Tales from the Crypt instead.
01:35But I'm going to warn you, I'm a channel surfer.
01:38And as the sketches get long, I'm gonna flip right over to Tales from the Crypt.
01:43It's always fun to see a president with a sense of humor.
01:46Not to mention one who can laugh at himself and his idiosyncrasies.
01:53The season 35 episode taking place on November 21, 2009 included Dave Matthews Band as the musical guest.
02:00To celebrate the occasion, Matthews performed in The Mellow Show sketch as Ozzy Osbourne.
02:05Please welcome Mr. Ozzy Osbourne.
02:08Opposite him was Bill Hader playing Matthews.
02:11Hader hilariously impersonates Matthews' speaking voice before launching into a winning parody of his music.
02:18So Dave, I understand you have a new song for us?
02:20I sure do, Jack. It's called Chicken Panini.
02:25I got a chicken panini.
02:31But the real star here is Matthews himself.
02:34The real star here is Matthews himself.
02:36He is surprisingly great as Osbourne, both in the quality of his impression and his comedic ability.
02:42He also had the wonderful ability to poke fun at himself by referencing his distinctive voice and Hader's meek recoiling of fear.
02:49What doesn't scare Dave Matthews? I mean, look at him.
02:54He has a stupid face and his stupid feet and his voice makes me want to throw up in my hand.
03:06Vanessa Bayer as Miley Cyrus
03:08The Miley Cyrus Show was a recurring sketch on Saturday Night Live that saw Vanessa Bayer playing Cyrus and hosting a talk show.
03:15So hello! It's Miley, y'all!
03:18So this is just like my show where I like talk to people who are pretty cool and we'll like
03:21talk about things that they got pretty cool and yeah!"
03:24Various notable celebrities have starred in the sketch,
03:26including Anne Hathaway and Jeff Bridges.
03:29On March 5th, 2011, Cyrus herself appeared playing Justin Bieber.
03:34She is an incredibly good sport,
03:36even though Bayer is performing with a greatly exaggerated version of her voice.
03:40So, Justin, what have you been up to lately?
03:44You know, I'm just chilling right now.
03:47Wink, cocky nod, point.
03:50Wow!
03:51Bayer also mockingly references Cyrus' use of Salvia,
03:54which she infamously used in December of 2010,
03:58just three months before this episode aired.
04:00The sketch even has an extra layer of meta-humor
04:03as Jason Sudeikis impersonates Miley's father, Billy Ray Cyrus,
04:07as the talk show bandleader.
04:09You are so special, baby girl!
04:13Thanks, Dad!
04:16Number 17.
04:17Abby Elliott as Zooey Deschanel
04:19While she's mostly grown out of it by now,
04:21Zooey Deschanel had a reputation throughout the late 2000s as a down-to-earth quirky girl.
04:26Hey, girl!
04:28I'm Zooey Deschanel and my soul was born in 1901!
04:33This element of Deschanel's personality was parodied in the SNL sketch
04:36Bein' Quirky with Zooey Deschanel,
04:38which saw Abby Elliott playing the titular star.
04:41On the episode of February 11th, 2012,
04:43Deschanel herself appeared on the sketch playing Mary-Kate Olsen.
04:47Hey, Zooey.
04:48I haven't seen you since we both tried to pick the same wildflower.
04:52She takes Elliott's spot-on impression on the chin
04:54as she nails Deschanel's vocal inflections,
04:57folksy musical style,
04:58and unique expressions.
05:00So, Mary-Kate, where do you get your quirky inspiration?
05:04That's actually my next tip, Zooey.
05:06You can draw inspiration from past generations.
05:10It must be hard keeping a straight face while someone makes fun of your eccentricities,
05:14but Deschanel pulls it off.
05:20Throughout her tenure on Saturday Night Live,
05:22Vanessa Bayer earned a reputation as one of the show's greatest impressionists.
05:26One of her most popular bits was impersonating Rachel Green,
05:29Jennifer Aniston's iconic character from Friends.
05:32Here to comment is Rachel from Friends.
05:43During one Weekend Update segment,
05:45Bayer appeared as Green conducting a news segment on 90s nostalgia.
05:49The impression was simply incredible,
05:52and this was made obvious when Jennifer Aniston made a surprise cameo.
05:56Vanessa, Vanessa, what are you doing?
05:59What? Oh, what?
06:03Can you just, can you just drop that for a second?
06:07The greatest bit is when Aniston and Bayer synchronize
06:10while performing Rachel's mannerisms,
06:11as they sound exactly alike.
06:13At one point, they even say what at the exact same time,
06:16and it harmonizes like a beautiful piece of music.
06:23Throughout his career,
06:24musician Joe Cocker was known mostly for two things,
06:27his bizarre movements on stage,
06:29and his gravelly blues voice.
06:31SNL icon John Belushi nails them both.
06:33Belushi's impression of Cocker was well known throughout the industry.
06:50Paul McCartney asked Belushi to perform as Cocker at a birthday party,
06:54and Cocker told Rolling Stone
06:56that he thought Belushi was lip-syncing upon first hearing the impression.
06:59The two co-performed Feeling Alright on October 2nd, 1976,
07:03and it was like watching someone strut around in front of a mirror.
07:15Not only were they dressed alike,
07:17but Belushi proved uncanny as Cocker.
07:20This musical impression is a legendary bit of SNL history.
07:2414. Will Ferrell as Janet Reno
07:27SNL loves to poke fun at politicians,
07:29and Janet Reno was no different.
07:31Reno was the first female Attorney General of the United States,
07:34serving from 1993 to 2001.
07:44Reno was far more high-profile than her predecessors,
07:47and Will Ferrell became known for his hilarious Reno impression
07:50on Saturday Night Live.
07:5415. Janet Reno's Dance Party
07:57He continuously starred as the Attorney General in a segment called
08:00Janet Reno's Dance Party,
08:02which saw Reno dancing with a group of teenagers in a basement.
08:17However, Ferrell was going more for parody than outright impression,
08:21telling The Washington Post,
08:23just sound the way she looks.
08:30Reno appeared on SNL on her last day as Attorney General,
08:34appearing for a dance party alongside Ferrell,
08:36to wild applause from the audience.
08:4413. Will Ferrell as Alex Trebek
08:47This late great host of Jeopardy! always had a good sense of humor,
08:51even when the subject was himself.
08:53Trebek appeared in two episodes of Saturday Night Live,
08:56including the May 18, 2002 episode,
08:59in which he appeared opposite Will Ferrell impersonating him.
09:08Ferrell had become famous for his impression of Trebek
09:11in a recurring skit called Celebrity Jeopardy!
09:13Like his impression of Janet Reno,
09:15Ferrell is going more for parody than outright impression,
09:18remaining in his own voice but dressing as the famous Jeopardy! host,
09:22complete with his iconic mustache.
09:33Unfortunately, Trebek had shaved his mustache by this point,
09:36as he proved when he walked out to escort Ferrell from the podium.
09:4012. Mike Myers as Mick Jagger
09:50It's amazing to consider that even amidst the slew of talent found on early 90s SNL,
09:55Mick Jagger stands out as an impressionist master.
09:58Jagger was the musical guest for the episode airing on February 6, 1993,
10:02and he appeared in the Weekend Update segment alongside Mike Myers.
10:10Myers impeccably impersonated Jagger,
10:21while Jagger was portraying his Rolling Stones bandmate, Keith Richards.
10:24Myers' Mick Jagger is hilarious, even if it's a little overly cartoony.
10:28He exaggerates many of Jagger's traits,
10:31including his chicken arms, squinted eyes and pouty lips.
10:40And, while the impression is solid,
10:42modern viewers can't help but compare his Mick Jagger character to Austin Powers.
10:46They're essentially the exact same thing.
10:4811. Jim Brewer as Joe Pesci
10:51This iconic American actor may be the nicest guy on the planet,
10:55but he will forever be linked to his intense gangster characters
10:59like Tommy DeVito and Nicky Santoro.
11:04Case in point, the recurring SNL segment The Joe Pesci Show.
11:10In which Jim Brewer played a violent and easily offended Pesci,
11:17who often loses his temper and assaults his talk show guests.
11:28During the April 12, 1997 episode,
11:30Pesci and Robert De Niro made surprise cameo appearances in the sketch,
11:35telling Brewer that his impression is both offensive and misleading.
11:39Pesci informed Brewer,
11:44before viciously beating him with the prop weapon.
11:5110. The entire cast as Jim Carrey
11:54This legendary comedian and his various mannerisms are ripe for impression.
11:59Thankfully, fans get a lot of them in this family reunion sketch.
12:03This is a goldmine for any Carrey fan,
12:05featuring a slew of great impressions and recreations of all his popular characters.
12:18Taron Killam kicks things off with a spot-on impression that has Carrey subduing laughter.
12:23And various players show up doing the likes of Ace Ventura, the cable guy and the mask.
12:27But perhaps the greatest part is when Jeff Daniels shows up
12:32as Lloyd from Dumb and Dumber.
12:46Not only was it touching to see them reunited,
12:48but viewers could tell that Carrey was legitimately shocked and happy to see his old co-star.
12:539. Eddie Murphy as Stevie Wonder
12:55Eddie Murphy is an enormously talented man.
12:58So talented, in fact, that he teaches Stevie Wonder how to do a Stevie Wonder impression.
13:08The episode of May 7, 1983 aired a sketch in which Murphy plays a music producer
13:13coaching a Stevie Wonder impersonator for an upcoming event.
13:16Of course, the impersonator is actually played by Wonder himself,
13:20adding another layer of comedy to the whole routine.
13:289. Eddie Murphy as Stevie Wonder
13:36The impersonator isn't very good,
13:38prompting Murphy to coach him on Wonder's voice and mannerisms.
13:41It's a great bit of back and forth.
13:43And it proves especially funny as Wonder does an intentionally poor version of himself.
13:48That is, until he shows everyone the true extent of his talent.
13:588. Jimmy Fallon as Barry Gibb
14:07An icon of disco, Barry Gibb is well known as a member of the Bee Gees.
14:11Perhaps the most famous aspect of Gibb's music is his falsetto voice,
14:15which is often parodied in popular culture.
14:18For example, Jimmy Fallon did a great impression on the recurring SNL segment,
14:21The Barry Gibb Talk Show.
14:287. Justin Timberlake as Barry Gibb
14:36Fallon played the titular host,
14:37and he was accompanied by Justin Timberlake playing Barry's brother Robin.
14:41The sketch went out with a bang on December 21, 2013,
14:44when the real Barry Gibb joined Fallon and Timberlake for a brief performance.
14:49It was all in good fun, if over a little too quickly.
14:52It certainly seemed like Gibb was having a good time,
14:55and it's clear that he was enjoying Fallon's impression.
14:587. Cherie Oteri as Judge Judy
15:01After finding success with the comedy troupe, The Groundlings,
15:04alongside Chris Kattan and Will Ferrell,
15:06Cherie Oteri was hired as a repertory performer on SNL for the 1995-96 season.
15:11She did a great job as a judge,
15:13and it's clear that she was a big fan of Fallon.
15:158. Judi Shindlin as Judge Judy
15:32Judi Shindlin cameoed on SNL on October 17,
15:351998, appearing in a sketch that saw Oteri impersonating the famous TV judge.
15:46Midway through the skit, Judge Judy appeared to rapturous applause
15:51and tapped Oteri on the shoulder,
15:53telling her to get her bony ass out of the chair so the real judge can take over.
16:00And take over she did, proving a great sport in the process.
16:096. Jimmy Fallon as Jerry Seinfeld
16:12Fallon is indeed an incredible impressionist,
16:14complete with a surprisingly huge arsenal of celebrities.
16:24After impressing Lorne Michaels with his audition,
16:26Fallon debuted on SNL in September of 1998.
16:29One year later, he was doing an impression of Jerry Seinfeld,
16:33in front of Jerry Seinfeld.
16:38The two starred together in a weekend update segment,
16:40with Fallon dressed like Seinfeld.
16:42Fallon could barely get through his opening lines without laughing,
16:45but he did manage to compose himself
16:46and perform one of the all-time great Jerry Seinfeld impressions.
16:57Close your eyes and listen.
16:58It's hard to tell who's who.
17:085. Cast Members as Adam Sandler
17:11Now one of the biggest movie stars in the world,
17:13Adam Sandler got his start on Saturday Night Live in the early 90s.
17:17Nearly 25 years after his firing, Sandler returned to host
17:21and starred in a skit called Sandler Family Reunion.
17:27This skit had the cast doing impressions of Sandler and his characters.
17:30These included some absolutely killer impressions from Pete Davidson as Little Nikki.
17:42Melissa Villasenor as Bobby Boucher.
17:52And Jimmy Fallon, whose absolutely amazing impression
17:55caused Sandler to break character.
17:57And all of it was easy.
18:11Fun fact, Fallon actually originally auditioned for SNL
18:14by doing an impression of Sandler for Lorne Michaels.
18:17The notoriously stoic Michaels broke down and laughed, and we can see why.
18:214. Amy Poehler as Hillary Clinton
18:25This politician has long been a subject of SNL impressions,
18:28with Kate McKinnon of course doing an admirable job.
18:36But Amy Poehler will forever remain the queen of the Hillary Clinton impression.
18:46Poehler had been doing a Clinton impression for a long time,
18:49Poehler had been doing a Clinton impression for years,
18:52and she performed it face to face with Clinton herself
18:55on the March 1st, 2008 episode of Saturday Night Live.
19:04Clinton appeared during the episode's cold open,
19:06when she was a candidate in the 2008 Democratic presidential primary.
19:13After Clinton referenced Poehler's famous impression,
19:15Poehler came on stage and proved that she is one of the best in the biz.
19:22On the February 11th, 2012 episode of Saturday Night Live,
19:26Andy Samberg starred opposite Nicolas Cage in a weekend update segment
19:30subtitled Get in the Cage with Nicolas Cage and Nicolas Cage.
19:41Like the Seinfeld-Fallon segment,
19:43Samberg appeared dressed the same as Cage,
19:45complete with a hilarious receding hairline.
19:58The skit had Nicolas Cage playing a clone of Nicolas Cage,
20:00so that he can appear in every movie ever made.
20:14Yes, Andy Samberg was playing the real Nicolas Cage.
20:18Confused? It doesn't really matter.
20:25All that mattered was Samberg's hilarious impression,
20:36and Cage's expressionless face as he absolutely refused to break character.
20:44Tina Fey will forever be admired for her eerily spot-on impression of Sarah Palin.
20:55Fey starred as Palin throughout the 2008 presidential election campaign,
20:58with a sketch of her and Amy Poehler as Hillary Clinton becoming a massive internet sensation.
21:04She would return to that well again and again on SNL.
21:13Palin actually appeared in the cold open of the October 18, 2008 episode,
21:18alongside Lorne Michaels, watching Fey's impression on TV.
21:30She told Michaels that the impression was not realistic,
21:33before being approached by Alec Baldwin, who jokingly mistook her for Tina Fey.
21:43We can see how the mistake was made. The resemblance really is uncanny.
21:56Before we unveil our top pick, here are some honorable mentions.
21:59Alec Baldwin as Tony Bennett. The crooner loved this take.
22:04You know, you're a real prince let me on this show.
22:07This guy can wear the heck out of a suit, don't you know? You're no slouch either.
22:12Justin Timberlake, Andy Samberg, and Bobby Moynihan as Beyoncé.
22:16A hilarious take on the iconic single ladies dance.
22:26Justin Timberlake as Jimmy Fallon. Timberlake does Fallon on Family Feud.
22:30There's a lot of good answers there, Jimmy Fallon. Which one y'all gonna pick?
22:33So many great answers. So many. They're so great. So great, my man.
22:40Jay Pharoah as Kevin Hart. Pharoah plays Hart's son.
22:44Now, here's the thing. There's no way he's my son. Yeah, here's the thing, mom. Let me explain.
22:50First of all, uh, this is not my dad. It's a waste of my damn time, that's what it is. Okay.
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23:14The legendary Christopher Walken has perhaps the most distinct voice in Hollywood and has
23:20long been the subject of hilarious celebrity impressions. Christopher, I can't believe you made it.
23:27Like Adam Sandler, Walken was the subject of a family reunion skit in which multiple cast members
23:32showed off their impressions. I recall we stole the ice sculpture. I wonder what happened to it.
23:39I don't know. It probably melted. The skit got off to a great start with the fantastic Bill Hader
23:47and remained consistently entertaining throughout. John, is that you? Or do my eyes deceive me?
23:54It's really me. You remember my kids, Maxine and Scott. Some of the impressions were genuinely great,
24:04like the one from Jason Sudeikis, and others were hilariously sincere and also surprisingly spot-on,
24:10like Amy Poehler's impersonation. Because I hate ghosts. They're spooky. And I don't respond well
24:18to spooky behavior. It is a hilarious tribute to one of SNL's greatest and most prolific guest hosts.
24:25Let's all go over to the bar and get a drink. Everything in moderation. You're driving? Driving?
24:32No, I'm walking. Do you agree with our picks? Check out this other recent clip from Ms. Mojo,
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