‘SNL’ Alum Cheri Oteri Revives Barbara Walters Impression for 2020 NYE Countdown

To help ring in 2020, CNN got a little help from Cheri Oteri. The former Saturday Night Live cast member joined hosts Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen for the network’s New Year’s Eve Live broadcast. As Entertainment Tonight noted, when the clock struck midnight, Oteri brought back one of her best-known impressions, former 20/20 host Barbara Walters. It wasn’t just a random throwback, as Oteri announced the coming of the new year using Walters’ iconic phrase she used to introduce the program: “This is 2020.”

“Anderson, Andrew, first let me say what an honor it is for you to have me on your New Year’s Eve special,” Oteri said on the broadcast while in character.

“Second, I’m afraid retirement didn’t suit me as much as people had hoped. And now that I’m trending on social media with the likes of Korean boyband BTS, climate change activist Greta Thunberg and body-positive songstress Lizzo, I’ve decided to dust off my power suit and get back in the game. It’s no longer going to be a Chicos kind of thing for this gal because I can finally say with confidence, this is 2020.”

Both Cooper and Cohen feigned an interview with Oteri’s Walters, though Cooper had to duck out of the frame due to the fact he was laughing so hard.

It was an eventful night for CNN’s New Year’s broadcast, which included the now-annual tradition of watching CNN anchor Don Lemon get a little loose while celebrating on camera.

Oteri first joined Saturday Night Live for its 21st season in 1995, and stayed on until the 25th season, which ended in the spring of 2000. Along with her impression of Walters, who was a host of The View at the time, Oteri also did caricatures of Katie Couric, singers Alanis Morissette and Jennifer Lopez, and businessman-turned-presidential candidate Ross Perot.

Since leaving the long-running sketch comedy show, Oteri has appeared on TV shows including Curb Your Enthusiasm and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, as well as movies like Shrek the Third, Scary Movie and Benjamin, the latter of which was directed by and stars Bob Saget. Next, she’ll star alongside Jeremy Piven and Bruce Dern in the comedy Crabs in a Bucket, which is due in theaters sometime this year.

She was one of the guesses on who was behind the mask during an episode of The Masked Singer back in November, though it turned out to be reality star Kelly Osbourne.