‘SNL’ Star Melissa Villasenor Reveals Why Dolly Parton Impression Was Special for Her

Saturday Night Live star Melissa Villaseñor finally got to do her Dolly Parton impression on this weekend’s episode, appearing as the country music legend during “Weekend Update.” While Parton has not commented on Villaseñor’s performance, the comedian assured Parton’s fans the impression was done from a place of love. Villaseñor shared how much Parton meant to her during the early days of the coronavirus pandemic.

On Sunday, Villaseñor shared a backstage clip of herself in full Parton makeup, in which she said, “Hi, this is Dolly Parton. Happy Christmas to you!” In the caption, Villaseñor tagged Parton to tell her she loves the “Jolene” singer. “Early in pandemic I was alone for while at home and I was desperate for someone to bring me comfort and I found Dolly’s audiobook Dream More,” Villaseñor wrote. “It made me cry and smile and laugh and believe again.” Villaseñor also shared a photo of herself in Parton makeup and thanked SNL writer Anna Drezen, makeup artist Louie Zakarian and “Weekend Update” co-anchor Colin Jost. “This meant a lot to my Lil heart,” Villaseñor wrote.

During her “Weekend Update” segment, Jost asked Villaseñor if she was just trying to find a way to get her Parton impression on the show. She told him the costume was just her “special Christmas outfit” and her prosthetic chest was “my regular big old things.” Villaseñor said she was really there to just talk about Christmas, so she performed “Holly Jolly Christmas” as Parton. Later, she sang “Jingle Bells,” but it was really just a holiday-themed version of “Jolene.”

Jost eventually got Villaseñor to admit what she was really doing. “OK, fine, yeah, I want to be Dolly. Who doesn’t? She’s the coolest. She’s a great singer. She writes her own songs. She donated a million dollars to the [COVID-19] vaccine,” she said. “Plus, there was a news story this week that she saved a kid from getting hit by a car, which made me mad because I was speeding up to hit him… I’m kidding.” Villaseñor ended the segment by performing “9 to 5.”

When Villaseñor mentioned that Parton helped fund research into the coronavirus vaccine, she was not joking. Last month, the New England Journal of Medicine listed the Dolly Parton COVID-19 Research Fund as one of the donors who helped fund the Moderna coronavirus vaccine. Early during the pandemic, Parton donated $1 million to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where researchers were working on the vaccine.