Dana Carvey Treads Carefully With Biden on SNL
Dana Carvey has made millions laugh with his impressions, but behind the laughs was a tightrope walk few knew about.
Recently, Carvey opened up about how his portrayal of Joe Biden on "Saturday Night Live" required more than comedic chops — it demanded a certain delicacy. The veteran comic revealed he deliberately pulled punches because he believed the former president seemed "compromised mentally" during the 2024 election cycle.
The Challenge of Playing Biden
On his podcast "Fly on the Wall," which he co-hosts with David Spade, Carvey explained that portraying Biden — then 82 — was unlike anything he’d done before. Known for his savage impressions of everyone from George H.W. Bush to Elon Musk, Carvey called his time as Biden "surreal" and "bizarre" but also "at times, a lot of fun," according to PEOPLE.
Guest Julie Bowen asked whether he felt any guilt about poking fun at a man whose cognitive state had become a political lightning rod. Carvey didn't dodge the question.
"I knew that he was compromised mentally, I mean, it was obvious," Carvey said, as reported by PEOPLE. "But it was a delicate thing in the comedy world."
Balancing Humor and Humanity
Carvey admitted that there were "a lot of people who did not want to do anything that would kind of ding him in an awkward way," as reported by PEOPLE. But for Carvey, the key to making Biden funny — and acceptable — was authenticity. "If I can make Biden funny to everybody, then I am where I want to be," he added. "And to make it funny, it had to be recognizable."
He perfected the squint, the wandering stage presence, and the signature phrases — "by the way," "guess what?" — as well as Biden's now-famous habit of whispering and then yelling. It took two years, Carvey said, before his Biden impression felt fully realized, as reported by Cracked.com.
When Politics Meets Punchlines
During the 50th season of "Saturday Night Live," Carvey's Biden appeared alongside Maya Rudolph as Kamala Harris, Andy Samberg as Doug Emhoff, and James Austin Johnson as Donald Trump. In one memorable sketch after the Democratic National Convention, Carvey's Biden ambled to the podium, tossed out catchphrases, wandered offstage — only to wander back in, to the audience's delight.
David Spade pointed out that being president makes you "fair game" for comedy. "I think it's easier to make fun of him if he's the president than if it's just a 90-whatever-year-old man and just go, 'Look at this a------,'" Spade said on their podcast, as reported by PEOPLE.
After the election, Carvey transitioned to playing Elon Musk in a "Dark MAGA" cold open, delighting the crowd with his over-the-top bravado, quipping, "America's going to be like one of my rockets, you know? They're super cool and super fun. But there's a slight chance it could blow up and everybody dies," according to PEOPLE.
A Legacy of Laughter and Thoughtfulness
For Carvey, who became a household name in the 1990s for his uncanny George H.W. Bush impression, playing Biden wasn't just another role — it was a balancing act between biting satire and compassion.
As the 2024 election unfolded and Biden's debate performances were scrutinized for signs of cognitive decline, Carvey's approach became even more nuanced. After the former president dropped out of the race under party pressure and was later diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer, the delicacy of Carvey's portrayal felt prescient.
"I loved it," Carvey said of the challenge. "It was entering and exiting, but it was a real challenge to make it acceptable," he reflected, according to Entertainment Weekly.
References: Dana Carvey Says His SNL Impression of Joe Biden Needed to Be 'Delicate' Because Former President Seemed 'Compromised Mentally' | Dana Carvey Calls His Biden Impression a 'Delicate Thing' | Dana Carvey Did 'Delicate' Impression of Joe Biden Because He Was 'Compromised Mentally' | Dana Carvey reflects on 'real challenge' of playing Joe Biden on SNL: 'I knew that he was compromised mentally'
