I was pointing out that Alec Baldwin’s Trump impression sucks when pointing out that Alec Baldwin’s Trump impression sucks wasn’t cool. His single-buttock effort to mimic Bad Orange Man was wildly praised by critics when he debuted it on SNL one month before the 2016 election — “Uncanny!” “A technical marvel!” — but I thought it was terrible to begin with, and it’s only gotten worse with time. The novelty act has lost its novelty. Baldwin obviously agreed to do it because he figured it would be a temp job, and his subsequent inability to help the #Resistance take down Trump clearly infuriates him. But then, what doesn’t?
As I noted last year:
Baldwin looks and sounds more like a heavier, even raspier Lloyd Bridges. The wig and ill-fitting suit are doing most of the work. Alec Baldwin does not and cannot impersonate Donald Trump. He’s just a fading movie star in a Halloween costume.
If you have a problem with that, talk to Alec Baldwin, because he agrees with me. Patrick Ryan, USA Today:
Q: Who would you like to see play Trump on “Saturday Night Live” after you?
Baldwin: I don’t know. Darrell Hammond did it and is a far better impressionist than I’ll ever be. When Anthony Atamanuik (started impersonating Trump on Comedy Central’s “The President Show”), all these people were attacking me, saying, “Oh, your impression sucks and you suck. Please go away.” It also was something I thought to myself: “I really don’t have a lot invested in my Trump impersonation, so please find someone and convince Lorne (Michaels) to replace me.” I’m completely down with that. Winning the Emmy for that show aside, it was not some career goal of mine.
Those grapes are sour anyway.
It’s nice that Baldwin can finally admit Hammond is much, much better, because Hammond was heartbroken when Lorne Michaels replaced him. Here he is talking about it in 2017:
How refreshing that Hammond doesn’t pretend it’s okay and he’s over it. He’s pissed, and he should be. He’s done more for that show than Alec Baldwin ever will, he’s the best pure impressionist they’ve ever had, and they treated him like trash.
If Hammond doesn’t want to come back, and you could hardly blame him, Atamanuik would’ve been a better replacement to begin with:
Well, they’d need to write some material, obviously. But the impression is good.
Or, hell, go to pretty much any comedy club, podcast studio, or nursing home in the entire world and you can find a better Trump impressionist. Anybody, absolutely anybody is better at it than Alec Baldwin.
Now Baldwin can go back to hosting game shows or strangling photographers or whatever his hobbies are these days. Good riddance to bad acting.
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