From botched accents to missed mannerisms, some SNL impressions fall flat. Join us as we count down the celebrity portrayals that left viewers cringing instead of laughing. These attempts prove that even the most talented comedians can struggle to capture their subjects' essence, resulting in performances that are memorable for all the wrong reasons.
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00:00My fellow Americans.
00:02Welcome to Ms. Mojo and today we're counting down our picks for the most awful celebrity
00:07impressions viewers were forced to endure on Saturday Night Live.
00:11What do you want Latoya? I'm almost out of money.
00:15Number 10. Anderson Cooper by John Radnitsky.
00:20In only his third episode on the show,
00:22newcomer John Radnitsky was tapped to play news anchor Anderson Cooper
00:27in a spoof of the 2016 Democratic debate.
00:30I'm your moderator, Anderson Cooper, and I hope I do you proud tonight, Kathy Griffin.
00:35While other performers in the sketch nailed their impressions,
00:39Radnitsky's attempts missed the mark. Rather than playing up Cooper's typically calm
00:44and straightforward style, Radnitsky leaned heavily into a stereotypical gay voice
00:50and lost the essence of the anchor entirely.
00:53Okay, let's get started. This first question is for everyone.
00:59Even Cooper himself chimed in on Watch What Happens Live, calling the performance a huge miss.
01:06Honestly, if he hadn't worn a silver wig and called out his own name,
01:10we'd have guessed he was playing anyone but Anderson Cooper.
01:14Secretary Clinton, do you want to respond?
01:16Number 9. Michael Bloomberg by Fred Armisen.
01:19Throughout his 11-year tenure on Saturday Night Live,
01:23Fred Armisen racked up praise for his range of quirky characters,
01:27but when it came to impressions, he wasn't exactly the most reliable performer,
01:32as they often slid into the unfortunate trap of being one note.
01:36Hello, I'm Michael Bloomberg.
01:39Two weeks ago tomorrow, on December 26th,
01:43New York City was hit by what will be forever called the Great Blizzard of 2010.
01:48Nothing exemplifies this more than his portrayal
01:51of former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg in this 2013 cold open.
01:56Above all, we have questions. Where does snow come from?
02:02Is it dangerous? Will the snow stay forever?
02:07While the material itself has its moments,
02:09Armisen's whiny, monotonous delivery feels a lot more subdued than the real Bloomberg
02:15and does little to elevate the lines he's reading.
02:18Now, the big question, what are we doing about removing the snow?
02:23Tonight, I am pleased to report that even as we speak,
02:27thousands of city sanitation workers are out in the plows.
02:30Does it still get a chuckle? Perhaps.
02:33But is it among the best work we've seen from Armisen? Not even close.
02:37At some point, we will overcome this crisis.
02:41However long it takes, however much it costs,
02:44I promise you, we will clear New York City of snow.
02:49And then, God willing, we can start on Queens.
02:52Number 8.
02:53Pete Davidson by Rami Malek
02:56Pete Davidson and Rami Malek share a passing resemblance.
03:00So naturally, Davidson has played Malek a few times on SNL.
03:04Hey man, you know computers?
03:07Yeah, who are you?
03:09When the Oscar winner hosted the show in 2021,
03:12he returned the favor in a sketch where Davidson also played him.
03:16And finally, from SNL, Pete Davidson.
03:19What up? What up? Yo, do I have to sit next to Rami Malek?
03:27I mean, his eyes are freaking me out.
03:29Dude, stop staring at me, man.
03:32Seated side by side,
03:35they both seem lost in their impressions of each other.
03:38Malek amps up Davidson's tendency to launch into rants,
03:42but no matter how many times he throws in the word dude,
03:45we still wouldn't be convinced that this is any good.
03:48Please make him stop.
03:50It's like the soul of a Victorian child is trapped in his eyes.
03:54Next to a near lifeless Davidson,
03:57Malek's impression may initially come across as bearable,
04:00but it fails to capture his subject's signature giddiness.
04:04Overall, a well-meaning attempt, but a fail nonetheless.
04:08How would I know that?
04:10I mean, I went to school in Staten Island,
04:14and all of our classes were to prepare us to be like firefighters or racist cops.
04:20Number seven, Prince William by Andy Samberg.
04:24SNL has struggled to nail down a solid parody of the royal princes,
04:28a dilemma that dates back to at least 2010.
04:31Of course you remember my girlfriend, Catherine.
04:33It is a pleasure to see you again, your majesties.
04:35In this sketch, Andy Samberg plays Prince William,
04:38introducing his then-fiancee, Kate Middleton, to his parents.
04:42Samberg isn't exactly the first name that springs to mind
04:46when you think of great impressions,
04:48and this sketch perfectly highlights why.
04:51Beg your pardon, Prince William, a telephone call for you.
04:53Ah, well, I'll only be a moment.
04:55Do chat until I return.
04:57His attempt at a British accent is so laughably atrocious
05:00that it's no surprise he keeps bolting out of the room.
05:04Oh, Kate.
05:05Grandmama has never taken to anyone like this.
05:07What joy!
05:08I'll be back!
05:09Clearly, the writers were working overtime
05:11to minimize the pain of that impression on the audience.
05:14The problem was still glaring in 2018,
05:17with Mikey Day's bizarre take on Prince Harry.
05:20Give him a wet willy?
05:21Yes, in England it's called a moist Matthew.
05:25Number six, Keanu Reeves by Tobey Maguire.
05:29There's a lot to love about the Celebrity Jeopardy! sketches,
05:32especially the iconic rivalry between Alex Trebek and Sean Connery.
05:37Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?
05:39No, but I did something to your mother with this mouth.
05:42Okay.
05:43But this particular installment gave us something to shake our heads about.
05:46Precisely, Tobey Maguire's impression of Keanu Reeves.
05:50I know kung fu.
05:52Released during the peak of the Matrix craze,
05:55this was more of a portrayal of Neo than it was of Reeves,
05:58with a dash of Ted from the Bill and Ted franchise thrown in for good measure.
06:02I shall take balloons for 800 if you please.
06:06That's not a category.
06:07But even as a mashup of those legendary characters,
06:11it still missed the mark.
06:12We'll take impressions that should never grace our screens again for $200, Alex.
06:18Let's see what you wagered.
06:19$170 billion.
06:24That's not even a real number.
06:27Yet.
06:28Number 5.
06:29Janet Reno by Will Ferrell.
06:31Okay, this one might be a bit controversial.
06:34Will Ferrell is, without a doubt, one of the most unforgettable cast members in SNL history,
06:39boasting a remarkable list of impressions.
06:42But his portrayal of former Attorney General Janet Reno doesn't quite make the cut.
06:47Hi, I'm Janet Reno.
06:49Welcome to Janet Reno's dance party.
06:50Coming to you live from my basement.
06:52While some fans appreciated the absurdity,
06:55it came off more as a cruel caricature,
06:58sacrificing accuracy for whatever whims struck Ferrell in the moment.
07:02Shut it. Everyone shut up.
07:03Reno initially wasn't a fan of the impression,
07:06but she eventually made peace with it,
07:08even sharing the screen with Ferrell in a 2001 episode.
07:12It's Reno!
07:16Unlike the Attorney General, though,
07:18we're not ready to forgive this misguided attempt and sentence it to a lifetime of oblivion.
07:24Oh, Janet, I can't believe I have to say goodbye.
07:27What do you do when you get sad?
07:29I just dance.
07:30Now hit it!
07:35Number 4.
07:36Michael Jackson by Amy Poehler.
07:39We all know Amy Poehler for her spot-on impressions
07:42of figures like Hillary Clinton and Martha Stewart.
07:45But if you were expecting her to bring that same finesse to her take on Michael Jackson,
07:49you were sorely mistaken.
07:51It's just the flu, Liz Taylor.
07:53I'll be back on my feet soon.
07:55Poehler's impersonation of the King of Pop left a lot to be desired.
07:59It was neither accurate nor particularly funny.
08:02Don't be silly, Liz.
08:03I have lots of friends.
08:06Oh, I bet that's one of my friends now.
08:08She leaned into the media's long-standing tendency to infantilize Jackson
08:13by portraying him as a lonely, needy child.
08:16But the act gets tiring fairly quickly.
08:19What do you mean, Liz?
08:20We were just holding hands.
08:22Fortunately, this was one impression that didn't thrill audiences for too long
08:26before it was asked to beat it off our screens.
08:29Wait, Liz!
08:30Don't go!
08:31I'll tell the truth.
08:32I'll tell the whole world what they want to hear.
08:34Number 3.
08:35Andrew Cuomo by Pete Davidson.
08:38Watching a Pete Davidson impression often feels like watching the comedian play himself,
08:43just in a different costume.
08:45His portrayal of former New York governor Andrew Cuomo was no exception.
08:50Governor, do you know why you're here today?
08:53Is it because indoor dining is back in New York?
08:59In 2021, while the real-life Cuomo was being hammered by multiple controversies
09:04that ultimately led to his resignation,
09:07he was also being botched by Davidson on SNL.
09:10And what happened with the nursing homes?
09:14Some of the people who died in the nursing homes
09:16were not counted as nursing home deaths.
09:19They were counted as hospital deaths,
09:21which is basically what happens at Disney World, okay?
09:24His first appearance as Cuomo came in the Britney Spears talk show sketch,
09:28but even by the following week's vaccine game show sketch,
09:32the impression had yet to evolve.
09:34Remember when your favorite movie was my power points?
09:38Remember, today is Tuesday.
09:40To his credit, Davidson remained in character without breaking,
09:44but when it's the same slouched over performance he brings to most characters,
09:48it's hard not to want a bit more variety.
09:51But if you do feel sick, make sure you leave the nursing home and get to the hospital.
09:55Wink.
09:56Number 2.
09:57Julia Child by Dan Aykroyd.
10:00We're certainly not against men playing women on SNL,
10:03but there should at least be some semblance of accuracy.
10:06Welcome. I'm Julia Child. Today we're going to make a holiday feast.
10:13In this classic sketch,
10:14Dan Aykroyd's impression of Julia Child completely missed that mark.
10:19First, remove the giblets, and you really should save the giblets.
10:23They make a fine stock for soup, or you can save the liver
10:27and fry it up with some onions for a little snack.
10:30Aykroyd turned the renowned French chef to nothing more than a clumsy cartoon,
10:35complete with a high-pitched voice that sounded more like Mickey Mouse than anything else.
10:40Now I've done it. I've cut the dickens out of my finger.
10:43But hey, it was at least funny. We'll give him that.
10:46Apparently, even the real Child thought so too.
10:49She was reported to have enjoyed it so much,
10:51she kept a taped copy at home and often played it for her guests.
10:55Oh, this phone is a prop. It doesn't work.
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11:14Number one, Gerald Ford by Chevy Chase.
11:18This impression was incredibly awful, and it seems that was by design.
11:23I have called upon the networks tonight to make two pressing issues clear to the American public.
11:30In the early seasons of SNL, Chevy Chase played Gerald Ford,
11:35but made no attempt to mimic his voice or mannerisms.
11:39The show leaned into the joke, as they refused to even put Chase in makeup to resemble Ford.
11:45At one point, they displayed on-screen text blatantly stating that it was a bad impression.
11:50Instead, Chase played Ford like any of his other characters,
11:54merely exaggerating his well-known clumsiness.
11:57As president, I will change my mind wherever I want.
12:02Hello, hotline.
12:03Surprisingly, the president actually liked the portrayal
12:07and became friends with Chase years after he left office.
12:11Indeed, this was one impression that was so bad, it ended up being great.
12:16Now, as we can see, the Ford popularity is certainly on a sharp rise here.
12:23Whereas the...
12:27What was the worst impression you've seen on SNL? Let us know in the comments.
12:32And now for my second announcement.
12:37Do you agree with our picks? Check out this other recent clip from Ms. Mojo,
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