'SNL' Star and Wife Welcome New Baby

By Michael Hein

Saturday Night Live star James Austin Johnson is a father! The comedian shared photos of his newborn son on social media on Tuesday, Jan. 4, and he has been busy cracking jokes about fatherhood ever since. Fans, friends and colleagues are still sending their well-wishes to the actor.

Johnson shared a close-up picture of his new son Homer on Instagram on Tuesday, along with a shot of his wife holding the infant in her arms. Over on Twitter, he posted a different picture of the baby with his eyes open, and the more ambitious caption "Stop... #HomerTime." Johnson has been tweeting other jokes about childbirth and fatherhood over the last week or so, clearly looking forward to this moment. He received plenty of love from his colleagues at SNL.

"WE LOVE HOMER!!!" wrote Aidy Bryant on Johnson's Instagram post. Sarah Sherman added: "Hello Homer!!!" while comedian Andrew Michaan wrote: "a much-deserved baby!!!"

Johnson, 32 years old, is a newcomer on Saturday Night Live this season, though he has been gaining popularity steadily for several years now. He is originally from Nashville, Tennessee, and he moved to Los Angeles, California to pursue a career in entertainment. According to his IMDb page, Johnson wasn't there long before he was cast in Hail, Caesar!, working with the Coen brothers and some of the biggest names in the industry.

Johnson has also had roles on comedies like Adam Ruins Everything, Tuca & Bertie and Squidbillies, to name a few. He also appeared in Better Call Sall, All Rise and Future Man. He was in the voice cast of Stephen Colbert's animated movie Washingtonia last year, and will be in the new animated sitcom Fairview from the same team later this year.

When he was added to the cast of SNL in the fall, Johnson was one of the newcomers that got comedy aficionados particularly excited. He had been lauded for his impression of former President Donald Trump, and he kicked of his time on SNL with an impression of President Joe Biden. He later broke out his Trump impression a few episodes later.

Entertainment Weekly critic Andy Hoglund wrote of Johnson: "he is one of the most exciting new cast members in years, a cross between Dana Carvey and Darrell Hammond. He's that kind of talent." Of course, Johnson is just one of several exciting additions to the variety show this year, along with Sherman and Aristotle Athari.

Saturday Night Live returns from its holiday hiatus next weekend on Jan. 15 at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBC. There is no word yet on whether Johnson will be there, or if he is taking some time off to be with his baby.

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