Top 10 Celebrity Impersonations on Talk Shows

Denzel Washington is an impression a lot of comedians have in their back pocket. But, we bet you didn’t know the man himself is pretty good at them too. In fact, Denzel impressed Queen Latifah with his Jay-Z impression on her talk show in 2014. The Academy Award-winning actor talks about a time when Jay-Z played him the song “Change Clothes” before anyone else had heard it. What Denzel really nails about the rapper is not necessarily the exact tone of his voice, but the cadence. As soon as he starts to laugh in Jay’s signature way, Queen Latifah is blown away – and we are too.

Any actor worth their salt can whip out a solid Christopher Walken impression pretty much on command. Despite his protests, Chris Pine has a mean Walken, and we’ve always been impressed with Tom Hiddleston’s impersonation too! Still, Bradley Cooper definitely takes home the Walken heavyweight belt. The two actually starred together in the comedy “Wedding Crashers” in 2005, which Cooper talked about on an episode of Conan O’Brien’s show. He only gives us a small taste of what he can do, but that brevity makes the performance all the better. Like Walken, he’s a man of few words.

The late Alan Rickman gave us so many wonderful performances. From Professor Snape, to Hans Gruber, to the Sheriff of Nottingham, he had villainy down pat. Part of what made Rickman so iconic was his deeply rich, throaty speaking voice. It was so distinctive, and you would think it would be a difficult impression to nail. Well, not for Benedict Cumberbatch! During an interview with Jimmy Fallon, the talk show host challenged Cumberbatch to “a Rickman off.” The two tested their Rickman impressions against one another by saying lines from classic hip-hop songs. No shots at Fallon, but Cumberbatch’s performance of “Gin and Juice” definitely takes the cake.

#7: Eddie Murphy as Tracy Morgan “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” (2003-)

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Saturday Night Live: Best of Eddie Murphy

Eddie Murphy is an incredibly gifted comedian, both in films and in his stand-up. So, we know he probably has a plethora of impressions he could showcase at any given time. However, we were today years old when we learned that Tracy Morgan is one of them. On an episode of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” Murphy talked about trying to cheer Morgan up after his terrible car accident in 2014. Nailing Morgan’s signature voice is important in any impersonation, but Murphy goes a step further. The little pout on his face and the wrinkle between his eyebrows scream Tracy Morgan, and solidify this as one of the great celebrity impressions.

Christina Aguilera is one of our great singers. But, we bet you didn’t know she’s pretty solid at impersonations too. One of Jimmy Fallon’s greatest inventions is his “Wheel of Musical Impressions,” which has given a number of musical artists the chance to show off their talents. Christina is no exception. The warble in her voice when she does Shakira is outstanding, but we’ve got to give it up for her Cher. The pop diva’s signature dulcet tones are often the subject of rude jokes, but Christina clearly sees the artistry in them. We could listen to Cher sing the Folgers theme song all day.

When it comes to celebrities, there’s nobody more extra than Drew Barrymore – and we mean that in the most flattering way possible. Barrymore is one of the cheeriest celebrities out there, and that joy emanates from her person all the time. To nail an impression of her, you have to capture that joy. Chloe Fineman of SNL fame does it easily, but we were shocked at how good Sarah Paulson is. On an episode of "The Tonight Show,” Paulson surprised us with many a good impersonation, including Holly Hunter and Kathleen Turner. But the way she spoke out of the side of her mouth and immediately became the most grateful person in the world was sublime.

Matthew McConaughey is yet another star that many other celebrities are able to imitate at pretty much any given time. Some are good, some are… less good, but no one does it better – or more often – than Matt Damon. Damon visited the set of the “Late Show with David Letterman” a lot during Letterman’s tenure. Without fail, he was always asked to do one thing: his McConaughey impression. He’d slowly slip into that raspy Texas drawl, talking about taking shirt off more times than we care to count! Plus, he can make it work without saying, “Alright, alright, alright.” Letterman always got a kick out of it, and so do we.

Learning someone is good at an impression who you wouldn’t typically expect to fit the bill is always so fun. Alessia Cara is a wonderful singer, but when she got her time on Fallon’s “Wheel of Musical Impressions,” her stuff was good, sure, but nothing to write home about. Great things come to those who wait, apparently, because Cara’s last impression was of Lorde. We contend that, if you close your eyes, you probably won’t be able to tell the difference! Cara not only nailed Lorde’s very distinctive vocals, but even whipped out “the claw” as icing on the cake.

Ariana Grande has been on Jimmy Fallon’s show multiple times. Usually, the two play a game of “Wheel of Musical Impressions,” and we’ve been privy to Grande’s excellent singing impersonations more than once. But, in 2018, Grande took on “The Tonight Show” as Fallon’s only guest. Therefore, we got to see a little more of her than we usually do – including this surprisingly good impression. Jennifer Coolidge has one of the most iconic voices in film, and her “Legally Blonde” character in particular is beloved. At Jimmy’s prodding, Grande whips out a Coolidge imitation that had us doing a double take. Give this girl a comedy show! Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions. Bradley Cooper as Robert De Niro, “Late Show With David Letterman” (1998-2015) A Man of Few Words George Clooney as Joel Schumacher, “The Graham Norton Show” (2007-) George Disappears Into This One Tom Hanks as Clint Eastwood, “The Graham Norton Show” (2007-) It’s All in the Eyebrows Simon Helberg as Nicolas Cage, “Conan” (2010-21) Cage Recites the Alphabet Tom Cruise as Donald Duck, “The Graham Norton Show” (2007-) We Did Not Expect This From Tom

#1: Tom Hiddleston as Graham Norton “The Graham Norton Show” (2007-)

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Top 10 Graham Norton Show Moments

If you’ve poked around on YouTube for celebrity impressions, you’ve probably come across a video or two dedicated to the majesty of Tom Hiddleston. The actor has a real knack for slipping into different voices that you wouldn’t expect. We, for one, love his Owen Wilson imitation [xref], but his Graham Norton is just too good to pass up. Hiddleston is a frequent guest on Norton’s show, and often does voices for that audience. In one episode, he took on the host himself. As Norton, Hiddleston plays up his tendency to over emote and hits the high cadence of his vocals perfectly. There’s a reason he’s the one we make YouTube compilations of.