In the cold open sketch for this weekend’s Saturday Night Live, actor Jason Sudeikis reprised his early 2010s-era Joe Biden impression to deliver the punchline that the President Biden of today is no longer “lucid.”
The opener began with a downcast elderly Joe Biden, played by current cast member James Austin Johnson, wondering how his approval rating could be so bad. “People used to like me,” he whined after the show’s version of press sec. Jen Psaki told him, “Your CNN town hall was watched by no one, and your approval rating is in the dumpster.”
Then, out popped Sudeikis playing the 2008 Joe Biden who was Barack Obama’s Vice President. Wearing aviator glasses, a ballcap, and a blue zip-up with the vice-presidential logo on its breast, Sudeikis jumped in energetically to scold the current Biden on being such a downer.
“Wait a second. Who are you?” today’s Biden asked when Sudeikis jumped out on stage.
“What do you mean who are you? I am you! I am you from eight years ago, man. The ghost of Biden past. Boo!” the Sudeikis Biden replied.
“You seem so happy. So carefree. So — what is the word I am looking for?” Johnson’s Biden said.
“Lucid!” Sudeikis retorted.
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Sudeikis went on to highlight how meaningless he was as VP Biden by explaining, “Where I am from, we are still VP. Easiest gig in the world. We’re like America’s wacky neighbor, you know. Just pop in with an ice cream cone, some aviator shades, finger guns. Shake a few hands and rub a few shoulders.”
Sudeikis then did a riff on Biden’s creepy shoulder rubbing and hair smelling habits by grabbing hold of the current Biden’s neck, saying, “Loosen up,” and “You like that?”
“Look, I hope this doesn’t sound sexist, but you have got to smile more, sweetie,” Sudeikis said.
Johnson’s Biden also went on to whine a bit about Democrat Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema for blocking his bloated $3.5 trillion budget bill.
After a brief appearance by Alex Moffat — the cast member who unmemorably played Biden during SNL’s last season — the Sudeikis Biden tried to give current Joe some advice.
“You are me,” Sudeikis said. “I want you to stand tall. I want you to flash those 100% natural choppers we got. And remember. We may be from different eras. But at the end of the day, we are both Joe freakin’ Biden.”
Still, the jokes only highlight that today’s Joe Biden is a far cry from the energetic, top-of-his-game Biden from the early 2000s. For any of SNL’s audience who still support Joe Biden, Sudeikis’ appearance as 2008’s Biden only made their hearts ache even more for the old Joe over today’s failed, confused, and befuddled Joe.
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