Over the years, the highly talented cast of Saturday Night Live has delivered some hilarious and spot-on celebrity impressions. However, not every impression is quite as well-received by the audience — or the celeb they're poking fun at.
Here are 14 times celebs called out or criticized SNL's impression of them:
1. THE CONTEXT: The 2023 Academy Awards were a big night for Irish actors, largely due to the critical success of The Banshees of Inisherin. A quarter of the acting nominees were Irish.
THE SKETCH: The night before the Oscars aired, SNL's "Oscars Red Carpet Cold Open" sketch cycled through impressions of several nominees. Playing The Banshees of Inisherin costars Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson, Mikey Day and Molly Kearny spoke in incomprehensible faux Irish accents.
You can watch the full sketch here:
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THE CRITICISM: The sketch was criticized for its stereotypical portrayal of Irish people, and the joke about drinking was called insensitive because Colin Farrell has openly spoken about his sobriety. During the Oscars broadcast, the actor called out the sketch when host Jimmy Kimmel made a similar joke about Irish accents.
2. THE SKETCH: In 2015, the "Democratic Debate Cold Open" sketch had several of SNL's most iconic political impersonations, such as Kate McKinnon as former first lady Hillary Clinton and Larry David as Sen. Bernie Sanders. Jon Rudnitsky played Anderson Cooper.
Here the full sketch:
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THE CRITICISM: On Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, Anderson said, "I didn't think it was very good. Seth Meyers did a spoof of me years ago that was really funny, and I'm all for being spoofed. It was like the only thing [Jon] knew about me was that I was gay, so that's sort of what he went with."
He also said that he'd been invited to cameo in the sketch himself, but he turned it down due to scheduling conflicts.
3. THE SKETCH: When Ariana Grande hosted SNL in 2016, she played a Tidal intern who impersonated several famous singers to save the streaming service during a glitch. She started by singing a rendition of "...Baby One More Time" in her "best Britney Spears voice."
You can watch the full sketch here:
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THE CRITICISM: In a radio interview for KISS FM UK, Britney said, "That’s funny. That’s really funny, wow. I've heard better."
However, she also added praise for Ariana's real singing voice, saying, "She's very good...I love her voice. It's very smooth."
4. THE CONTEXT: Earlier in her career, Jennifer Lawrence was praised for being "relatable" and seemingly "normal" compared to other celebrities. However, this "cool girl" persona later became something she was mocked for.
THE SKETCH: SNL host Ariana Grande impersonated Jennifer Lawrence in "Celebrity Family Feud," playing up her relatability.
Here's the full sketch:
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THE CRITICISM: Jennifer told Vogue that the impression was "spot-fucking-on," but she didn't quite like the "regular person" joke. She said, "That's what other people have said. If I'd said, 'I'm a regular person,' I'd want to [die]."
5. THE CONTEXT: Big Cat Rescue owner Carole Baskin criticized Netflix's hit docuseries Tiger King, which she said was originally pitched to her as an exposé on the exploitation and abuse of big cats in zoos. On her sanctuary's website, she wrote, "There are not words for how disappointing it is to see that the docuseries not only does not do any of that, but has had the sole goal of being as salacious and sensational as possible to draw viewers."
"It has a segment devoted to suggesting, with lies and innuendos from people who are not credible, that I had a role in the disappearance of my husband Don 21 years ago. The series presents this without any regard for the truth or in most cases even giving me an opportunity before publication to rebut the absurd claims. They did not care about truth. The unsavory lies are better for getting viewers," she said.
THE SKETCH: In the at-home sketch "MasterClass Quarantine Edition," Chloe Fineman did an impression of Carole teaching an online bike riding class.
Watch the full sketch here:
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THE CRITICISM: On The Pet Show podcast, Carole said, "I could just slap that woman! This whole, 'My kitty, meow, meow, kitty, meow,' and then she would just say these really weird words all in a row. That all became popular, I guess, in popular culture and people wanted me to talk like that on the Cameos. And I'm like, 'I have no idea how to talk like that. That is not how I speak.'"
Addressing the announcement that then-SNL cast member Kate McKinnon was going to play her in a different project, Carole added, "[Kate] has not reached out to me, and I really hope that she does before she gets too far down the line with it. I'd love to know what her take is on it and what she's thinking to do and see if there was any way we could advise her."
6. THE CONTEXT: David A. Paterson was governor of New York from 2008–2010. He is legally blind, and, according to the New York Times, he was "well-known for making light of his vision problems" while in office.
THE SKETCH: In a 2008 "Weekend Update" bit, Fred Armisen portrayed Gov. Paterson by squinting one eye and speaking with a lisp.
Here's the full sketch:
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THE CRITICISM: A statement from the governor's office said, "The governor engages in humor all the time, and he can certainly take a joke. However, this particular Saturday Night Live skit unfortunately chose to ridicule people with physical disabilities and imply that disabled people are incapable of having jobs with serious responsibilities."
It continued, "The governor is sure that Saturday Night Live, with all of its talent, can find a way to be funny without being offensive."
7. THE SKETCH: Similarly, in a 2018 "Weekend Update" bit, Pete Davidson mocked Dan Crenshaw, a congressman-elect who wears an eyepatch, as one of the "really gross people running for office this year."
Here's the full sketch:
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THE CRITICISM: Due to backlash from viewers, Pete returned to "Weekend Update" and apologized on air. Then he brought out Dan, who proceeded to roast Pete right back.
Here's the full sketch:
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8. THE SKETCH: A 2014 Fox and Friends parody mocked the way the show discussed climate change and Obamacare. Cosmos host Neil deGrasse Tyson, played by Kenan Thompson, appeared as a guest and tried to convince the hosts that climate change is real.
That particular sketch is only available on Peacock (Season 39, Episode 17, "Anna Kendrick: April 5, 2014"), but here's a "Weekend Update" clip where Kenan played Neil deGrasse Tyson again:
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THE CRITICISM: Neil told Business Insider, "I thought they could have done a little better." He also said that he'd tell executive producer Lorne Michaels, "I'm honored and flattered that you would think of representing me, particularly in that context on Fox News. But I think your comedians and actors have more accurately portrayed other people than [Kenan] portrayed me. So there's some room for improvement."
However, he also added, "If the universe prompts people — artists — to have fun, then more power to it. It is a sign that science has become mainstream and that can only be a good thing."
9. THE SKETCH: During SNL's inaugural 1976 season, Gilda Radner did an exaggerated impression of Barbara Walters called "Barbara Wawa." She spoke in an Elmer Fudd–like voice.
Here's one of the sketches:
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THE CRITICISM: Decades later, Barbara told The Television Academy Foundation, "I hated the Gilda Radner 'Baba Wawa' until I walked into my daughter's room one night [and] she was up watching it. ... I said, 'What are you doing up?' and she said 'I'm watching Baba Wawa, Mom.'"
10. THE SKETCH: In a 2021 "Weekend Update," Bowen Yang and Kyle Mooney portrayed Pretend It's a City costars Fran Lebowitz and Martin Scorsese.
Watch the full sketch below:
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THE CRITICISM: Fran did not see it because she "never watch[es] TV deliberately." However, when the LA Times brought it up, she said, "I was home reading. People started calling me because they saw it. I would not have watched it even if I knew. I said, 'If you've never had a caricature drawn of you, you might think this is a great thing [to be parodied] — but no one likes them.'"
In response, Bowen told Late Night with Seth Meyers, "I think that's confirmation that she's seen it and that she doesn't care for it, and I think that's the highest compliment you could possibly get from someone like Fran."
11. THE SKETCH: In a series of 2009 Today parodies, Kristen Wiig donned a blonde wig to play host Kathie Lee Gifford. She portrayed her as ditzy and cringey.
Here's an example of one of the sketches:
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THE CRITICISM: On Today, Kathie Lee said, "Everyone seems to enjoy it, but I don't think it's that funny."
12. THE SKETCH: When Jennifer Lopez hosted SNL in 2019, Melissa Villaseñor pitched an idea for a sketch where she did her J.Lo impression. She told AV Club, "I was telling her, 'Oh, maybe I can imitate you in a sketch. You know, I could walk around your house and pretend I'm like J.Lo and be like, 'My favorite color's blue.'"
Melissa didn't get to do her J.Lo impression on the show, but here's a sketch she did for Más Mejor:
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THE CRITICISM: Jennifer declined the idea, telling Melissa, "I don't see it."
Melissa told AV Club, "And J.Lo grabbed me. She was like, 'Baby, my favorite color is green. Everyone knows that.'"
13. THE SKETCH: During her tenure on SNL, Maya Rudolph played Donatella Versace as a recurring character.
The CRITICISM: Donatella told the LA Times that she found the impression "hilarious." However, she said, "I talked to her on the phone once, and I gave her a suggestion on how to do me better." Her two constructive criticisms were "I don't drink" and "take off the jewelry because it looks too fake — I only wear real."
14. And finally, THE CONTEXT: Former SNL cast member Pete Davidson and Machine Gun Kelly are good friends.
THE SKETCH: In the 2021 sketch "The People's Kourt," Pete Davidson and Chloe Fineman played MGK and his partner, Megan Fox. In character, Pete just kind of mumbled in a dopey way.
Here's the full sketch:
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THE CRITICISM: Sharing a clip on his Instagram story, MGK said, "Pete, you know damn well I don't talk like that."
On Twitter, he also said, "I think it’s time for me to come on the show as Pete."