Dana Carvey, who famously impersonated then-president George H.W. Bush on Saturday Night Live in the early 1990s, recounted his decades-long friendship with the former commander in chief on Monday night’s Conan.
“They welcomed me and my wife to the White House after they had lost the election [in 1992] and we really hung out with him, we really got to know them,” Carvey told host Conan O’Brien.
Bush’s wife, Barbara, died last week at the age of 92 and reports earlier Monday stated the former president was in failing health, as well. “I’ve never seen a marriage that was that effortless,” Carvey said of the couple, who were together for 73 years. “They just had so much fun together.”
Carvey went on to detail his friendship with the former president, saying that he “wrote a a lot of notes to me” and how Barbara was “so witty and funny.”
The comedian related his experience with the Bushes to today’s current political climate: “We had so many warm moments with them. It was a different time, it wasn’t scorched-earth politics.”
Carvey and Bush also had something in common: their impressions. “George had always fancied himself an impressionist…he started doing a little James Cagney.”
“I just love them and I wish the best for everybody,” Carvey said.
Watch the clip below.
