Top 10 SNL Impressions That the Real Person LOVED

#10: Bowen Yang as Charli XCX

The long-running sketch show heralded its 50th season in style. One of the season premiere’s biggest hits was “The Talk Talk Show,” hosted by English music sensation Charli XCX. Actually, it was cast member Bowen Yang in drag. Yang’s take on the “Brat summer” trailblazer got a lot of laughs from the studio audience, but was it brat? According to the pop star herself, Yang’s impersonation was incredibly brat. Not only did she appreciate the performance, but the texture of Yang’s wig was a particular highlight for her. Yang would revive the character later in the season, right next to host Charli XCX herself, who was in character as Troye Sivan.

#9: Maya Rudolph as Oprah Winfrey

You get an impression! You get an impression! Everybody gets an impression! Maya Rudolph’s Oprah Winfrey sketch is legendary. Spoofing the legendary TV host’s love of giving her hysterical audience free stuff, Rudolph absolutely nails Winfrey’s enthusiasm for things like macaroons and Ugg boots. The memorable segment is also inspired by the very real audience who got a little too excited about one of Winfrey’s giveaways. According to Rudolph, Winfrey was thrilled with the sketch. She was especially pleased that a woman on the show was playing her, as only male cast members had impersonated her on the program to that point.

#8: Jay Pharoah as Denzel Washington

Former cast member Jay Pharoah’s Denzel Washington is one of the most spot-on impersonations ever heard on the show. He nails the beloved actor’s cadence and tone almost exactly. The most famous sketch finds Pharoah’s version of Denzel working at a department store to research a new movie. Parodying the playfully terrifying mannerisms Washington uses in some of his most famous roles, Pharoah harangues a customer trying to return a handbag. When Pharoah finally met Washington at the actor’s AFI tribute, not only did the actor know exactly who he was, but he told the comedian he owed him a lot of money. Clearly, he took it in stride. In fact, Washington publicly praised the performance.

#7: Maya Rudolph as Donatella Versace

Some impressions are so good they keep coming back. Maya Rudolph’s dazed and confused version of Italian fashion designer and businesswoman Donatella Versace was a recurring highlight of her time on the show. The sketches would find Rudolph holding a drink in one hand and a cigarette in the other, hawking products and flaunting her celebrity lifestyle. Despite playing her in what we’ll call a slightly elevated manner, the real Donatella Versace apparently thought it was hilarious. Having said that, Versace did have a few pointers for Rudolph, which she imparted to the performer during a phone call.

#6: Vanessa Bayer as Jennifer Aniston

The former “Friends” star has been imitated plenty of times on “SNL.” An entire 2013 sketch centered around a Jennifer Aniston lookalike contest had several cast members trying their hand. But Aniston had a clear favorite. According to her, Vanessa Bayer’s permanently confused Rachel Green really has the sauce. The two finally got to talk about it while co-starring in the workplace comedy “Office Christmas Party.” The studio audience cheered when Aniston made a surprise appearance during a 2016 “Weekend Update” segment where the two played out an argument over the faithfulness of the impression.

#5: Chloe Fineman as Drew Barrymore

The actress-turned-daytime talk show host usually has nothing but glowing things to say about her guests, and Chloe Fineman was no exception. “SNL’s” season 46 premiere lovingly skewered Barrymore’s elementary school art teacher energy. Fineman dug right into her effusive compliments, sunshine and roses mentality, and spacey personality in a way that was almost too real. When Barrymore had Fineman on her actual show, life imitated art, as the host offered up compliment after compliment. She literally bowed to her impersonator at the end of the segment. If that’s not a ringing endorsement, what is?

#4: Larry David as Bernie Sanders

In the run-up to the 2016 election, comedian and “Seinfeld” co-creator Larry David’s take on Bernie Sanders was a runaway hit. He honed in on the Vermont senators’ dislike of billionaires, claiming to only own one pair of underwear, unlike the rich bigwigs in Washington D.C. He returned to host the show later in the season, merging his on-screen persona with Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders in an incredible sketch. The senator suggested they should put David up in his place at the next rally, saying the comedian does him better than he does himself.

#3: Maya Rudolph as Kamala Harris

In the weeks leading up to the 2024 election, the first few episodes of the 50th season mined candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump for all they could. Former player and frequent guest Maya Rudolph earned a lot of praise as Harris. She took on the vice president’s mannerisms, sense of humor, and articulate but sometimes roundabout way of making a point and milked them for comedy. Her fans included the vice president herself. Harris laughed hysterically when presented with footage of the impression on “The View,” praising Maya Rudolph’s talent. A few weeks later, she appeared on a pre-election episode alongside her imitator.

#2: Ariana Grande as Céline Dion

The “Thank U, Next” singer has been doing her exaggerated impression of the French-Canadian powerhouse for a few years. It was probably Ariana Grande’s appearances on “Jimmy Fallon” that cemented her status as a foremost Dion impersonator, but she’s brought her skills to “SNL” a few times since then. In a 2016 sketch spoofing the Tidal streaming service, Grande cycled through her retinue of pop singer impressions, but audiences were most excited to hear her do Céline Dion again. In an interview with Elvis Duran, Grande said that when she met the singer, she said her impression made her laugh until she peed. Sounds like a rave to us.

#1: Kate McKinnon as Hillary Clinton

The 2016 election inspired a year of banner impressions on the show. Much of the fun McKinnon poked at former senator and secretary of state Hillary Clinton was born out of the idea that Clinton was hiding a lot of her true feelings about her opponents. The performer found a lot of wicked and hilarious commentary in Clinton’s inability to swear and lose her composure on the campaign trail like some of the male candidates in the race. Clinton was so pleased, and genuinely moved by McKinnon’s work that she wrote about it in her memoir. What’s your favorite celebrity impression on “SNL”? Let us know in the comments.