Can you even call yourself the President if Saturday Night Live hasn’t done a sketch about you?
President Joe Biden made an appearance of sorts on NBC last night, with new cast member James Austin Johnson stepping up to the plate as the 46th leader of the United States.
James, whose hiring was announced last week, is known for his viral impressions videos, many of which focus more on his impersonations of former president Donald Trump.
‘What’s cooking?’ Johnson said in character as the President during the show’s cold open. ‘What’s good? How was everybody’s summer? Mine was bad. Not Cuomo bad but definitely not Afghanistan good.
‘Everyone keeps razzing me about that drone strike. But on the bright side, I went the entire summer without falling down the stairs once.’
He added: ‘And hey, Broadway’s back. That’s exciting, right? So is the Taliban. So, win some, lose some.’
The sketch also saw some fan-favourites return, with Cecily Strong appearing as Senator Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Aidy Bryant appearing as Senator Joe Manchin.
It’s not the first time that impressions of Biden have been done on the show but it is the first time that a regular cast member has taken on the role – and it looks like he’s here to stay.
Guest star Jim Carrey briefly played him for a brief period on the programme in 2020, with cast member Alex Moffat taking on the role very occasionally.
Now, though, actor and comedian James looks set to be taking on the character regularly from now on.
It comes as Saturday Night Live star Pete Davidson sparked controversy online after a reference to Brian Laundrie during a Dog The Bounty Hunter sketch on last night’s show.
Saturday Night Live airs on NBC in the US.
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