Jim Carrey reveals he stops playing Joe Biden on Saturday Night Live: “I loved being elected president of SNL”
Saturday Night Live will have to find someone new to play President-elect Joe Biden.
Jim Carrey announced Saturday on Twitter that he had reached the end of his “term” playing the former vice president.
“Even though my term was only to last 6 weeks, I was delighted to be elected president of your SNL … the highest obligation of comedy,” a 58-year-old Sonic star of The Hedgehog posted on Twitter.
End of the Road: Jim Carrey, 58, announced Saturday on Twitter that he had just played Joe Biden for Saturday Night Live after several weeks of work; seen in February in Los Angeles
“I would love to move forward knowing that Biden was the winner because I nailed that,” he added. “But I’m just one of a long line of proud and SNL Bidens fighters.”
Carrey appeared live Saturday night for six weeks in a row, often getting the cold opening, which is usually devoted to current politics.
Although former SNL cast member Maya Rudolph has been praised for her impression of Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, Carrey has been criticized for her version of Biden, in which she mimicked some of her ways, but it didn’t get hit lines.
Carrey (and Biden) were absent from SNL’s last two weeks, prompting some to assume that the West Coast-based actor had ended the show.
Carrey’s last line referred to SNL’s difficulty in finding someone who would play Biden consistently.
Limited run: Carrey said he only intended to play Biden for six weeks and celebrated his victory
MIA: Carrey had been absent from the last two episodes of SNL, which led some to assume the West Coast-based actor was over; seen Oct. 24 on SNL
Mixed Bag: Former SNL cast member Maya Rudolph was praised for her impression of Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, but Carrey was criticized by critics; seen with Rudolph on Oct. 31 on SNL
Woody Harrelson made several appearances as the next president during the 2019 presidential campaign.
Harrelson told NME in September that he was probably not invited back to the long series of comedy sketches due to his limited availability.
“They approached me two or three times, but I couldn’t, so I don’t know, maybe Lorne has moved on, which would probably be smart to have people who would definitely show up,” he said.
“Because I don’t know, I wouldn’t always go there, but I’d be open to doing it again, of course. It’s a lot of fun.
Too busy: Woody Harrelson made several guest appearances as a Biden in 2019, but theorized to NME that he was not invited again due to his busy schedule.
Former favorite: Jason Sudeikis played Biden when he was a cast member and returned shortly after Harrelson’s season; seen in February
Jason Sudeikis, who was Biden’s regular SNL player when he was a cast member, reinterpreted him after Harrelson’s short stint.
His performance had less to do with Biden’s real manners compared to Carrey’s and emphasized broad comedy, more in line with how SNL portrayed presidents in the 1970s.
Chevy Chase introduced Gerald Ford as coarse and kissing, while Dan Aykroyd didn’t even bother to shave his mustache when he played Jimmy Carter.
Comedian John Mulaney, who used to write for SNL, also played Biden again before Carrey took over.
Biden Replacement: It’s unclear whether SNL will choose one of the main cast members or try to find another celebrity
It is unclear who will take on the role of Biden now that Carrey has left.
SNL has been left with high-level guests to play the president-elect, but it can be hard to get unless they find a New York-based celebrity like Alec Baldwin, who played President Donald Trump during most of his tenure.
The show may also use one of the regular cast members to take on the role after four years of regular guests.