Saturday Night Live’s final episode of 2020 started off by spoofing Vice President Mike Pence’s recent COVID-19 vaccination for its Dec. 18 cold open, with Beck Bennett playing Pence.
“This vaccine is safe and harmless, which is exactly why Donald Trump refuses to take it,” Bennett’s Pence said before adding that he had been sent as Trump’s human shield.
Maya Rudolph dropped by with her Kamala Harris impersonation, giving Bennett’s Pence a well-deserved smack when he questioned why she was there at all.
Cast member Alex Moffat played president-elect Joe Biden, who has previously been played by guest stars like Woody Harrelson, former castmember Jason Sudeikis, and Jim Carrey. It was announced that Carrey was stepping down from the role the day prior, with sources telling The Hollywood Reporter that the plan was always for Carrey to play Biden in the first six episodes of the season, leading up to and immediately following the election.
Moffat poked fun at the fact that multiple people have played Biden. “I’m like Colonel Sanders. Every time you see me, I look like a different guy.”
In the sketch, Kate McKinnon returned as an overly excited Rudy Giuliani, who recently tested positive for COVID-19.
Carrey tweeted Saturday morning that he would no longer play the president-elect. “Though my term was only meant to be 6 weeks, I was thrilled to be elected as your SNL President … comedy’s highest call of duty,” the comedian wrote. “I would love to go forward knowing that Biden was the victor because I nailed that shit. But I am just one in a long line of proud, fighting SNL Bidens!”
SNL responded in a tweet, “Thank you to Jim Carrey for showing up when it mattered.”
Carrey’s short run as Biden stands in contrast to Alec Baldwin’s impersonation of Donald Trump, which he played throughout the current president’s term in office. His performance on Biden drew mixed reviews. THR‘s chief TV critic Daniel Fienberg noted after the season premiere that Carrey “brought a wiry energy to his impersonation, an energy that has absolutely no connection to the guy running for president currently.”
Wonder Woman 1984 star and former Saturday Night Live cast member Kristen Wiig serves as this week’s host, joined by musical guest Dua Lipa. Wiig appeared on SNL from 2005 until 2012, embodying memorable characters such as Target Lady and hilariously impersonating Kathie Lee Gifford.
