Jim Carrey reveals he’s quitting playing Joe Biden on Saturday Night Live: ‘I was thrilled to be elected as your SNL president’
Saturday Night Live will have to find someone new to play president-elect Joe Biden.
Jim Carrey announced on Twitter on Saturday that he had reached the end of his ‘term’ as a former vice president.
“Although my tenure would only last six weeks, I was thrilled to be elected as your SNL president … supreme duty of comedy,” tweeted 58-year-old Sonic The Hedgehog star.
End of the Road: Jim Carrey, 58, announced on Twitter on Saturday that he had finished playing Joe Biden for Saturday Night Live after several weeks of work; seen in LA in February
“I’d like to move forward knowing Biden was victorious because I nailed that,” he added. “But I’m only one in a long line of proud, fighting SNL Bidens!”
Carrey appeared on Saturday Night Live for six weeks straight, often the cold open, which is mostly devoted to topical politics.
While former SNL cast member Maya Rudolph was praised for her impression of vice-president-elect Kamala Harris, Carrey was criticized by critics for his version of Biden, in which he mimicked some of his mannerisms but failed to get clichés .
Carrey (and Biden) were absent from SNL’s last two weeks, leading some to believe the West Coast actor was done with the show.
Carrey’s last line referred to SNL’s difficulty finding someone to play Biden consistently.
Limited Edition: Carrey said he only wanted to play against Biden for six weeks and celebrated his win
MIA: Carrey had been absent from the last two SNL episodes, leading some to believe the West Coast actor was done; seen on October 24 on SNL
Mixed bag: Former SNL cast member Maya Rudolph was praised for her impression of Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, but Carrey was criticized by critics; seen with Rudolph on October 31 on SNL
Woody Harrelson made multiple guest appearances as the next president early on in the 2019 presidential campaign.
Harrelson explained to NME in September that he probably wasn’t invited to the long-running sketch comedy series due to his limited availability.
“ I was approached two or three times, but I couldn’t, so I don’t know, maybe Lorne moved on, which would probably be smart to have people who would definitely show up, ” he said.
‘Because I don’t know, I wouldn’t always be there, but of course I would be open to it. It’s so much fun. ‘
Too Busy: Woody Harrelson made multiple guest appearances as Biden in 2019, but theorized to NME that he wasn’t invited due to his busy schedule.
Old Favorite: Jason Sudeikis played Biden when he was a cast member, and he returned shortly after Harrelson’s stint; seen in February
Jason Sudeikis, who was SNL’s regular Biden player when he was a cast member, returned to play him after Harrelson’s short stint.
His portrayal had less to do with Biden’s actual mannerisms as compared to Carrey’s and emphasized broad-based comedy, more in line with how SNL portrayed presidents in the 1970s.
Chevy Chase presented Gerald Ford as a klutz and a butterfinger, while Dan Aykroyd didn’t even bother shaving his mustache when he played Jimmy Carter.
Comedian John Mulaney, who used to write for SNL, also returned to play Biden before Carrey took over.
Biden Replacement: It’s unclear whether SNL will pick one of the main cast members or try to find another celebrity
It’s unclear who will take over Biden’s role now that Carrey is out.
SNL has held onto high profile guests to play the president-elect, but that can be hard to pull off unless they find a celebrity in New York like Alec Baldwin, who played President Donald Trump for most of his single term .
The show can also use one of its regular cast members to fill the role after four years of regular guests.