Alec Baldwin to Return as Trump on ‘SNL’ Tomorrow, Shares Plan Going Forward
Actor explains why he didn’t do Election Week episode
Tony Maglio | November 18, 2016 @ 9:14 AM
Last Updated: November 18, 2016 @ 9:35 AM
NBC
Alec Baldwin will reprise his Donald Trump impersonation tomorrow on “Saturday Night Live,” but don’t expect him to be an every-week player.
“I’m going to do it again this weekend, but not all that often,” he told Vanity Fair recently during the American Museum of Natural History’s annual gala, over which “SNL” boss Lorne Michaels presides.
Baldwin also explained why he didn’t do the actual Election Week episode: “There was a lot of things online that was said about it — like why didn’t I do it after the election? I was booked that weekend. Not even other jobs; we have things to do. It crashes every weekend.”
“When he does ‘SNL,’ it takes a big chunk out of it because you’re up so late, and then it eats into the next day,” Baldwin’s wife Hilaria added. “And for us, with little kids, it’s hard.”
There was no faux Trump on last week’s episode, which was hosted by Dave Chappelle, his first time at the helm. Kate McKinnon cold-opened the show alone as Hillary Clinton, performing the recently deceased Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” in character, before offering words of support for a stunned nation.
Former cast standout Kristen Wiig returns to “Saturday Night Live” this weekend as host. Her musical guest is the xx.
Here's Every Time Alec Baldwin Was Donald Trump on SNL This Season (Videos)
"SNL" held off on starting its 42nd season until the first presidential debate aired, and it turned out to be the right move. Baldwin replaced Darrell Hammond as the man to play Trump, and his act quickly went viral.
A week later, Baldwin did the first of several encore performances, starting with a sketch in which he responded to the tapes of Trump's infamous comments to Billy Bush.
Baldwin then got a chance to be a bit more physical when he and McKinnon parodied the Town Hall debate, which featured a cameo from Bobby Moynihan as Ken Bone.
In that same episode, Baldwin also had an appearance in a digital short parodying Beyonce's "Lemonade," in which Trump's ladies strike back after all his antics.
Then Baldwin and McKinnon did one more debate parody, which featured Tom Hanks as Fox News anchor/debate moderator Chris Wallace.
In the final "SNL" episode before Nov. 8, Baldwin finally broke character and ran out with McKinnon to detox from the ugliness of the campaign with the help of some fellow Americans in Times Square.
But while Baldwin's run has been widely hailed, there's one guy who didn't like it: his own brother and avid Trump supporter, Stephen Baldwin. Here's what he had to say about Alec's bit after the final debate in Las Vegas.
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Alec Baldwin’s weekly Trump parodies on “SNL” this season have been so good it almost made this tire fire election seem worth it
"SNL" held off on starting its 42nd season until the first presidential debate aired, and it turned out to be the right move. Baldwin replaced Darrell Hammond as the man to play Trump, and his act quickly went viral.
