Saturday Night Live: 30 scandals and secrets you didn’t know
By Jeremy Dick
14. Tina Fey impersonates Sarah Palin but wants nothing to do with her
Political impressions have long been a staple of Saturday Night Live. Will Ferrell did a very memorable George W. Bush. Dana Carvey’s Ross Perot is another classic. But Tina Fey as Sarah Palin is probably the very best of them all.
Originally joining John McCain as his running partner against Barack Obama and Joe Biden in 2008, Palin quickly became an easy target for comedians. Physically, Fey and Palin already resemble one another. So it made perfect sense for Fey to do the Sarah Palin impressions on SNL programming.
Many times, celebrities including politicians like Hillary Clinton have come onto the show to “confront” their impostors. It always makes for great television seeing the two side by side. But when Sarah Palin did a guest spot on the show with Fey doing the impression, the two are not on the same screen. Palin is instead watching the sketch on a backstage monitor with Lorne Michaels.
So, what happened? Why aren’t Palin and Fey on the screen at the same time? This is actually due to Fey’s own request. Fey dreaded the inevitable photo-op with Palin, and worried fans may see it as a de facto endorsement of her. So Fey only agreed to share the episode with Palin as long as they weren’t on-screen at the same time. Few other alumni would have the kind of pull that Fey demonstrated in ensuring she was comfortable with this sketch.