During Saturday Night Live's latest cold open, former cast member Darrell Hammond made a cameo as Bill Clinton, who he famously portrayed for many years. Clinton served as U.S. president from 1993-2001, and Hamill played him on SNL for much of that time.
Hammond was a Saturday Night Live cast member from 1995 to 2009, setting a series tenure record that Kenan Thompson later broke in 2017. During that stretch run, Hammond portrayed numerous politicians, though he became mostly known for his Clinton impression. In 1998, a scandal involving White House intern Monica Lewinsky made Clinton an obvious target for consistent Saturday Night Live parodies, along with the impeachment proceedings that began later that year, the result of the president's attempts to cover-up an affair. In September 2019, an impeachment inquiry was initiated against U.S. President Donald Trump, the same month that Saturday Night Live season 45 premiered. Since 2016, Alec Baldwin has portrayed Trump on Saturday Night Live.
The latest Saturday Night Live cold open parodies a recent Trump rally in Albuquerque, New Mexico, featuring the aforementioned Hammond as a surprise guest. Overall, the clip pokes fun at the unconditional loyalty of some Trump followers, all the while underlining the president’s tendency to mistake or manipulate basic facts. After faux appearances by Senator Lindsey Graham and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, Hammond’s Clinton shows up and claims that he just “followed the party.” The parody sketch also references Clinton’s busy schedule making speeches across the United States, with Hammond’s version implying that he “would never come home” if he was still president and could have a rally tour. Hammond’s Clinton then calls Baldwin's Trump a “dirty dog” upon learning about the impeachment inquiry, and cites “progress” when Trump mentions that the American public “doesn’t mind” his unnamed personal activities. Check out Saturday Night Live’s “Trump Rally Cold Open” below.
While Hammond hasn’t been a Saturday Night Live cast member for the past decade, he’s been part of every show since September 2014. After the death of 96-year-old announcer Don Pardo, Hammond replaced the famous voice actor, who'd spent the previous 38 years with Saturday Night Live since its first show in 1975. Aside from appearing on the famous NBC series, Hammond is best known for roles in movies like Blues Brothers 2000, Epic Movie, and Scary Movie 3.
Hammond’s latest Clinton portrayal set the tone for an impressive Saturday Night Live episode. Hosted by Chance the Rapper, who also served as the musical guest, the latest installment covered the usual political ground but mostly focused on original comedy. Expect Hammond to make several more appearances during Saturday Night Live season 45 as the election process intensifies.
Source: Saturday Night Live