25 of the Best Political Impersonations on Saturday Night Live
8. Phil Hartman as Bill Clinton
While it is hard to find clips of old school Saturday Night Live unless you’re watching the full episodes, Phil Hartman as Bill Clinton is easy to search for on YouTube. Why? Because he got so popular for his impression of the president that he was asked to be featured on Jay Leno as the 42nd President.
If you haven’t taken U.S History or you’re just an infant, Bill Clinton was famous for something that had nothing to do with his presidency. In fact, it had more to do with his marriage life than anything else. He had an affair with an intern named Monica Lewinsky and lied about it.
So in Phil Hartman’s impersonation of Clinton, he is constantly surrounded by women. As seen in the clip from Leno, he has two on either side of him and just feels slimy. At the time, it was an accurate depiction of Clinton and how the world viewed him. Nowadays, it might not be as well respected. But back in the 90s, it worked.
That’s also part of Hartman’s charm as a performer though. His impressions might not be spot on but there is just something about Hartman and how he portrays characters that just works.