Top 10 Celebrity Reactions To SNL Impression Sketches

When asked by a CNN anchor about whether he wanted Ben Stiller or Brad Pitt to play him, Dr. Fauci quickly answered the latter. Then with a few dashes of pixie dust, and what we’re assuming are a few phone calls later, the Hollywood heavyweight magically appeared during an “At Home” episode of “SNL” doing a great impression of the well-known doctor. The bit consisted of a lot of Fauci’s responses to then-president Donald Trump’s comments about the pandemic. Fauci was all smiles and laughs as he went on record saying he’d loved the entire bit. “I think he did great.”

She may be an Academy Award winning actress, but Jennifer Lawrence is almost known more for her “regular person” persona than any of her work. When actress/singer Ariana Grande hosted the show in 2016, she did her own take on Jennifer for the show’s “Family Feud” bit. While answering one of the questions, “Jennifer” goes off on a tangent about eating that sounded very much like what the actual actress would say. Apparently Jennifer agreed. When asked about the impression in a Vogue Magazine cover story, she said Grande was spot on.

When you hear the name Versace, you think of high end fashion. But in the world of “Saturday Night Live,” they took it to a whole new place: hot pockets. Maya Rudolph portrayed the socialite in a couple of bits, but the one that stands out the most is the “Versace Pockets” commercial. It’s just like regular hot pockets but for rich people. After seeing the portrayal, and laughing hysterically at it, the real Versace called Rudolph up herself to give her tips on how to make the impression even better. Now that’s what you call class.

It can sometimes be hard to remember the fact that an icon like Eddie Murphy got his start on “SNL.” Although his rendition of James Brown was killer, it was his take on Stevie Wonder that makes this list. It’s an impression he would perform several times, including in his comedy special “Delirious.” For us, though, what makes the impression stand out even more is how Stevie Wonder himself reacted. Wonder appeared on “SNL” alongside Murphy, who was in character, as Wonder. The impersonated version was giving the real one tips on how to be a “better” Stevie Wonder. If that doesn’t tell you how well he was enjoying it, we don’t know what would.

So far on this list, the reactions have been pretty good, but they’re not always glowing accommodations. When “Tiger King’s” Carole Baskin caught “SNL” alumni Chloe Fineman’s impression of her on Instagram, the reality TV star was not too impressed. The quick video had Chloe poking fun at Carole’s daily videos, whilst denying any illicit activities regarding her missing husband. While appearing on the “The Pet Show with Dennis Quaid'' podcast, she responded by saying, “I could just slap that woman!... That is not how I speak.” She went on to explain how she was frustrated at how fans were asking her to talk like the now-famous impression.

Known for her plethora of impressions, Kate McKinnon appeared on SNL’s “Weekend Update” as the famous Supreme Court Justice. With a spot-on voice, one of McKinnon’s best bits as Ginsburg involved shoving her face full of vitamin powder to stay alive and healthy. As the Supreme Court Justice, she often took potshots at various politicians and others making use of a new catchphrase: “Gins-burned.” Throw in some dancing and it was a lively impersonation. For Ginsburg herself, she apparently loved the bit and even wished she too could “Gins-Burn” some of her colleagues.

Appearing for the second time on this list, Kate McKinnon brought home another great impersonation in that of former First Lady Hillary Clinton. Having done the impression multiple times on the show, McKinnon had become an old pro at it. Whether it was her debate with Trump, or her “video” announcement of running for president, the laughs never fail. Clinton herself thought the impersonation was fabulous and even wrote about McKinnon’s “Hallelujah” skit in her book “What Happened?” Even Kate’s reaction to the reaction was memorable when she appeared on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” and spoke about it.

When Bernie Sanders was shown a clip of Larry David’s “SNL” impression of him, his reaction consisted of these exact words “I think we'll use Larry at our next rally. He does better than I do.” What more could be said than that? Larry’s multiple takes at the then-presidential candidate were some of his best work. One segment, in particular, was spun as an episode of his show “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and if you hadn’t caught the fact it was “SNL,” you might think it was the real deal. The impression then went full meta when both appeared on the “Today” show when Larry did yet another quick impression.

Another famous politician who received the “SNL” impersonation treatment was former presidential candidate Sarah Palin. Portrayed by Tina Fey on countless occasions, Palin’s reaction was mixed depending on what you read. One report said she thought it was funny since she’d dressed up as Tina Fey one year for Halloween. But another claimed she went on the show as herself to counter the dumbed-down portrayal Fey had been giving. Either way, it looks like Palin got the last laugh as she did her own spoof of Tina Fey in a parody video entitled “31 Rock”.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Vanessa Bayer as Miley Cyrus
Loved the Riff & Even Gave Her Suggestions to Improve It

Will Ferrell as James Lipton
Told Andy Cohen He Loved It

Melissa McCarthy as Sean Spicer
Was Not Melissa’s Biggest Fan

Kristen Wiig as Kathie Lee Gifford
Seemed a Little Insulted

Vanessa Bayer as Jennifer Aniston
Appeared on “SNL” with Bayer in Character

Will Ferrell was a legend during his time on “Saturday Night Live.” One of his signature sketches was that of “Celebrity Jeopardy!” where he portrayed the former host of the game show, Alex Trebek. Often seen bantering with Sean Connery, fans loved this sketch so much that it appeared 15 times on the comedy program. Trebek has gone on record praising the impressions of him from Will Ferrell on “SNL”. It’s a tribute to how gracious a man he was and that it’s better to take it with a laugh than with a growl.