Saturday Night Live has become famous for having its cast members impersonate celebrities and political figures to uproarious acclaim. However, the all-time greatest examples of these occur when the person being impersonated is present in Studio 8H, or on the stage with them, during the broadcast. Relive these legendary SNL moments here.
Eddie Murphy As Stevie Wonder
One of Eddie Murphy’s most beloved celebrity impersonations is that of Stevie Wonder, who must have been impressed with the impression enough to share the stage with the comedian. In one of the all-time funniest SNL sketches featuring a famous musician, the Grammy winner does not play himself, but an aspiring Stevie Wonder impersonator who enlists an expert impressionist (Murphy) to help him perfect his portrayal.
Will Ferrell As Janet Reno
For years, Will Ferrell led a recurring sketch called “Janet Reno’s Dance Party,” in which he portrayed the then-United States Attorney General as the host of a dance show for teens. The sketch concluded its run with a special segment featuring the real Reno literally bursting into the set to mark the end of her tenure.
Jimmy Fallon play Mick Jagger’s reflection. The Tonight Show host revealed on The Dan Patrick Show that Lorne Michaels initially urged him not to write the sketch, in which the Rolling Stones frontman discusses what “moves” he should break out on stage with Fallon’s impersonation, but based on Jagger’s snickering alone, it was certainly worth keeping.
John Belushi As Joe Cocker
It has been said that Joe Cocker was not happy with John Belushi’s uproarious impersonation of him on SNL, but if that was the case, why did he agree to perform with him? The singer-songwriter even matched some of the Blues Brothers star’s exaggerated mannerisms when he joined him for a dual rendition of “Feelin’ Alright.”
Kate McKinnon As Hillary Clinton
Hillary Clinton has been present at Studio 8H for a few sketches that put her on the spot, but the funniest, in my opinion, aired on October 3, 2015. Kate McKinnon reprises her role as the then-presidential hopeful having a drink when she strikes up a conversation with empathetic bartender Val, who is played by none other than the real Clinton.
Vanessa Bayer As Miley Cyrus
Vanessa Bayer impersonated Miley Cyrus on SNL in front of the pop star herself a couple of times, the first time being during Cyrus’ first hosting gig when she appeared on “The Miley Cyrus Show” as Justin Bieber. The second time was during a cold open in which she is visited by her Hannah Montana-era self before her infamous performance with Robin Thicke at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards.
Justin Timberlake As Jimmy Fallon
For SNL‘s 2013 Christmas show, Jimmy Fallon hosted with musical guest Justin Timberlake, and both of them participated in a gut-busting “Celebrity Family Feud” sketch. In it, the pop star and actor portrays a manically upbeat caricature of the Tonight Show host, repeatedly mentioning how everything about the game show is “so great, my man!” Fallon, appearing as The Big Bang Theory‘s Jim Parsons, can barely contain his laughter at this charade and, ultimately, loses it completely by the end.
Various Cast Members As Christopher Walken
It’s not every day that someone gets to demonstrate their own impersonation of Christopher Walken right in front of the actor himself, but nearly every member of the SNL Season 33 cast was given the opportunity during one sketch. The Academy Award-winning host plays himself, reuniting with family members who boast the same unique speech pattern and hairstyle.
Tina Fey As Sarah Palin
Rarely does an SNL star not only sound like, but also bear a striking resemblance to the person they are portraying, but Tina Fey could have won a contest for impersonating Sarah Palin. This was further proven when the real 2008 Republican vice presidential candidate showed up at Studio 8H to walk right past the 30 Rock creator and take her place at the podium.
Andy Samberg As Nicolas Cage
The best edition of the recurring Weekend Update segment, “Get in the Cage,” in which Andy Samberg plays the Academy Award winner, features a cameo by the real Cage as a clone the actor created to achieve his goal of appearing in “every film ever released.” While there, the Cages take the opportunity to promote Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, which they promise has the two most essential aspects of any great Cage movie: all the dialogue is either screamed or whispered, and everything is on fire.
Mike Myers As Mick Jagger
Just about every time that Mick Jagger appears on SNL, it’s gold, such as when the musical guest went on Weekend Update to portray his Rolling Stones bandmate, Keith Richards. Accompanying him is Mike Myers as… Mick Jagger, making for an absolutely legendary moment from Season 18.
Will Ferrell As Alex Trebek
SNL writer Steve Higgins told Variety that the late Alex Trebek loved the “Celebrity Jeopardy!” sketches. However, I already had a feeling he was an admirer based on his cameo at the end of Will Ferrell’s final appearance as beloved game show host before leaving the cast.
Jimmy Fallon As Barry Gibb
The sixth edition of “The Barry Gibb Talk Show,” starring Jimmy Fallon as the Bee Gees frontman and Justin Timberlake as his quiet bandmate and brother, Robin, already had a jaw-dropping SNL cameo with Madonna appearing as herself. However, the sketch ended with the crowd roaring at the sight of the real Gibb to help perform the show’s theme song.
Vanessa Bayer As Jennifer Aniston
In Season 42, Vanessa Bayer appeared on “Weekend Update” to discuss ’90s nostalgia, but as Rachel Green from Friends. Eventually, Jennifer Aniston herself steps in to put an end to the over-the-top caricature of the beloved TV sitcom role that made her a star.
Bill Hader As Lindsey Buckingham
Every edition of the hilarious talk show sketch “What Up With That?” ends with the same punchline: host Diondre Cole (Kenan Thompson) spends too much time singing and dancing and runs out of time before guest Lindsey Buckingham (Bill Hader) can speak. However, he would finally get his time to shine when the real Fleetwood Mac guitarist appeared alongside Hader’s impersonation, which was a shock to Chris Colfer, who also made a cameo in the sketch.
Jim Breuer As Joe Pesci
Jim Breuer’s impressive Joe Pesci impersonation made him the star of the recurring talk show-style sketch, The Joe Pesci Show. However, one edition sees the real Pesci, alongside Robert DeNiro (who was also portrayed in the sketch by Colin Quinn), crashing the sketch to criticize Breuer’s violent, easily offended caricature of him.
Abby Elliott As Zooey Deschanel
When New Girl cast member Zooey Deschanel hosted SNL in Season 37, Abby Elliott portrayed her as the host of a talk show poking fun at her quirky reputation, aptly named Bein’ Quirky. Her guest was Mary-Kate Olsen, played by Deschanel.
Cheri Oteri As Judge Judy
Arguably, Cheri Oteri’s most famous impersonation during her time on SNL was that of Judge Judy. The real-life TV icon once interrupted one of Oteri’s parodies to take over at the bench, proving that no one “rules” quite like she does.
Various Cast Members As Jim Carrey
When Jim Carrey returned to host SNL in 2010, he starred in a sketch where he reunites with members of his extended family, who are all caricatures of his most famous characters. One who resembles Lloyd Christmas is played by his Dumb and Dumber co-star Jeff Daniels in a hilarious cameo.
Jimmy Fallon As Jerry Seinfeld
Early on in Jimmy Fallon’s time as an SNL cast member, he demonstrated his talent for impressions by appearing on Weekend Update as Jerry Seinfeld and participating in a political debate against… Jerry Seinfeld.
Maya Rudolph As Kamala Harris
In the weeks leading up to the 2024 presidential election, Maya Rudolph returned to serve as SNL’s resident Kamala Harris, alongside Dana Carvey as Joe Biden, and Jim Gaffigan as her running mate, Tim Walz. The weekend before the election, the Democratic candidate herself appeared alongside Rudolph in a variation of the classic mirror sketch.
Bill Hader As John Malkovich
In 2008, host John Malkovich starred as himself in an edition of La Rivista Della Televisione, hosted by Vinny Vedecci (Bill Hader). When the Italian talk show host brings up the Oscar nominee’s role as himself in Being John Malkovich, he says, “I could be John Malkovich,” before launching a spot-on impersonation that the actor immediately claims sounds nothing like him.
Andy Samberg As Mark Zuckerberg
Fresh off his acclaimed performance as Mark Zuckerberg in 2010’s The Social Network, Jesse Eisenberg hosted SNL and, during his monologue, was joined onstage by the tech entrepreneur, played by Andy Samberg. Unbeknownst to them, the real Facebook founder is at Studio 8H and comes out to join them for an “awkberg” moment.
Darrell Hammond As Donald Trump
For Donald Trump’s SNL debut, he was joined onstage by Darrell Hammond, who demonstrated his impersonation of the then-host of The Apprentice by uttering his catchphrase, “You’re fired.”
Bill Hader As Dave Matthews
In a talk show-style sketch called “The Mellow Show,” host Jack Johnson (Andy Samberg) talks all things mellow with his guest, Dave Matthews (Bill Hader), who was actually that episode’s musical guest. After host Joseph Gordon-Levitt comes out as Jason Mraz, the show then welcomes former Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osborne, played by the real Matthews, who then proceeds to mock himself behind his mumbling British accent.
Various Cast Members As Adam Sandler
When Adam Sandler returned to SNL to host for the first time in 2019, he starred in a sketch in which he attends his family reunion. He encounters relatives who either exhibit the comedian’s more childish mannerisms or resemble some of his most iconic characters. Jimmy Fallon also surprised Sandler with a cameo, which successfully made Sandler chuckle.
Maya Rudolph As Lorne Michaels
Everyone who has ever worked at SNL has their own impersonation of Lorne Michaels, and Maya Rudolph had the opportunity to demonstrate hers for a sketch in which host Matthew Fox realizes Kristen Wiig and Amy Poehler have hijacked the bit to coerce the Lost star to kiss them. When he asks to speak to the creator and executive producer, it is clearly Rudolph in a suit and gray with her voice lowered. Michaels may not have been on stage for the moment, but you know he was there to see it.
Alec Baldwin As Tony Bennett
While never an official SNL cast member, record-breaking repeat host Alec Baldwin (whose hosting gigs well exceed the required amount to join the Five-Timers Club) appeared as Tony Bennett in multiple sketches. In one edition of The Tony Bennett Show, the real crooner appears on the talk show as an impersonator calling himself Phony Bennett.
Jay Pharoah As Kevin Hart
Surprisingly, Jay Pharoah never officially portrayed Kevin Hart on SNL, but did demonstrate his spot-on impression of him in a sketch in which he plays the comedian’s long-long son, who bears the same voice and behavioral quirks through and through.
Taran Killam As Donald Trump
When the then-presidential candidate returned to host SNL in 2015, Donald Trump was joined by both the show’s original resident impersonator, Darrell Hammond, and the show’s then-current impersonator, Taran Killam, during his monologue.
Bobby Moynihan As Psy
In a sketch about two Lids employees discussing the recent success of K-Pop artist Psy, Bobby Moynihan appears in his place a few times to perform his viral dance, until the sketch ends with the real “Gangnam Style” singer showing up.
Colin Quinn As Matthew Perry
Friends cast member Matthew Perry hosted SNL in 1997, he appeared in a parody of the beloved sitcom as Joey. However, Colin Quinn shows up as an overly effeminate caricature of Perry’s role, Chandler Bing, which the actor immediately takes offense to, bringing the sketch to a halt.