Saturday Night Live has a new Joe Biden … again
By Matt Moore
Saturday Night Live just can’t decide when it comes to President Joe Biden. The 2023 SNL Halloween episode featured yet another new performer impersonating the current president.
Saturday Night Live‘s cold open on October 28 featured cast member Mikey Day making his first attempt at impersonating Joe Biden. The president welcomed the SNL audience into the West Wing as he prepared for Halloween.
Day’s version of Biden played up the president’s fragility. The 80-year-old has faced questions about his age and stamina for years, making it a popular punchline in late-night TV.
The SNL season 49 version of Joe Biden also had a breathless voice that again suggested Biden struggled to keep up with the demands of his job. Add in another line about how Biden’s friends are ghosts, and it became clear that Mikey Day’s Joe Biden had a clear hook.
Who has played Joe Biden on Saturday Night Live?
Mikey Day’s Joe Biden impression in the October 2023 episode made him the eighth performer to play the politician. It’s by far the highest-profile impression for Day, who previously won over audiences with his take on Donald Trump, Jr.
Prior to Day, cast member James Austin Johnson played Biden after joining the SNL cast in 2021. Johnson is also the show’s resident Donald Trump. Perhaps the inevitable rematch between Biden and Trump made Saturday Night Live realize it needed separate performers for the rivals.
SNL relied on cameos and guest stars to play Biden in the lead up to the 2020 election. Woody Harrelson, John Mulaney, and Jim Carrey all took turns playing Joe Biden. Carrey’s was the most successful as SNL put him up against Alec Baldwin’s Donald Trump.
When Carrey retired from the role, SNL turned back to its cast as a replacement. Alex Moffat stepped in and did an admirable job, but it never quite stuck. Moffat left SNL in 2022.
Joe Biden’s tenure as vice president gave SNL some solid material. Cast member Jason Sudeikis played Biden, emphasizing the over-the-top folksy persona that Biden made his calling card.
Kevin Nealon was the original Saturday Night Live Joe Biden. The cast member played Senator Biden in 1991.
Unless Mikey Day is just a placeholder until Saturday Night Live can find a new celebrity to play President Joe Biden, fans can expect to see a lot more of him. The 2024 campaign trail and election should give Day plenty to work with as he takes on SNL’s Biden mantle.