In the political satire canvas of Saturday Night Live during the 2024 presidential election cycle, Dana Carvey assumed the role of a flagging Joe Biden, with Andy Samberg donning the character of Doug Emhoff, Maya Rudolph portraying Kamala Harris, and James Austin Johnson parodying Donald Trump. On the Fly on the Wall podcast, hosted jointly by Carvey and David Spade, guest Julie Bowen inquired about Carvey’s experience mirroring an aged former president.
Carvey, in his twilight at 70, had artistically embodied Biden, aged 82, in the SNL sequence set in the backdrop of the election. Maya Rudolph was thecasting choice for Kamala Harris, while her spouse Doug Emhoff found his likeness in Andy Samberg. Jim Gaffigan took upon himself to depict Harris’ running mate, Tim Walz, Minnesota’s Governor. The role of Donald Trump, however, was retained by James Austin Johnson.
The podcast episode that aired on June 26 saw Bowen curiously ask Carvey about his journey in inking the sketch of the doddering former president for a late-night comedy show. Acknowledging her question, Carvey confessed that portraying Biden was, while at times amusing, also oddly ‘surreal’ and ‘bizarre.’
Taking the conversation forward, Bowen, the star of ‘Modern Family’ aged 55, asked Carvey if he felt a pang of ‘guilt’ over his portrayal, given the belief that ‘Biden is severely diminished’ now. To this, Carvey responded, ‘I was aware of his cognitive decline, it was clear. But, it was a thus delicate scenario in the humor realm.’
He went on to expose an undeclared norm pervading the comedic field, which held people back from delivering humor that could potentially leave a scathing impact on Biden. Yet, as Bowen rightfully highlighted, ‘Isn’t comedy about poignancy!?’
Carvey then delved into the ‘key’ for his rendition of Biden, stating, ‘My objective was to sketch a Biden that could evoke laughter in everyone.’ But he also conceded that ‘to trigger laughter, the sketch must resonate with the audience’ and hence, ‘I deliberately omitted certain things from my representation.’
Carvey’s effort at impersonation found praise in Bowen who lauded it as ‘fantastic.’ Spade, the other host of the show, substantiated that because Biden held a prominent position as president, he was ‘fair game’ for satirical representation in comedy, making it ‘easier’ to jest at his faults.
Following his stint as Biden, Carvey had us in stitches with his spot-on mimicry of tech mogul Elon Musk, post the election fiasco. A memorable episode of SNL, aired on Nov. 10, just days after an alleged victory by Trump, showcased Carvey in the avatar of Musk, in a riveting cold-open.
In the skit, the cast made facetious claims of having backed Trump all the way through his election journey. As Musk, Carvey dropped into the frame, wearing a ‘Dark MAGA’ hat, bouncing with energy, proclaiming, ‘Seriously, I am pulling the strings now.’
In an ambitious proclamation, he declared, ‘America will be analogous to my rockets. They’re super thrilling and full of fun. But beware, there’s a tiny uncertainty it could explode and spell doom for everyone.’
Since then, the prestigious title of the SNL’s Musk-impersonator has been passed on to Mike Meyers, who debuted, much to the audience’s surprise, in the character of the Tesla boss in March.