Saturday Night Live has been the professional birthplace of many talented comedians and impersonators. But out of the current talent pool, no one comes close to Kate McKinnon.
Throughout her tenure at the long-running variety series McKinnon has showcased her innate ability to transform with every performance, and despite many original characters she embodies, her standout performances come from portraying standout figures of the current political climate.
Videos by PopCulture.com
From presidential hopefuls to confused members of cabinet, McKinnon has flawlessly tackled them all.
Scroll through to see some of Kate McKinnon‘s best political impressions.
HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON
One of McKinnon’s most iconic performances came during the 2016 election, when she impersonated then-presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton.
McKinnon masterfully balanced playing Clinton in a sympathetic light, as well as showcasing her most criticized qualities.
Since the election, McKinnon’s Clinton has made fewer appearances, but the character comes back every once in a while to jokingly haunt Alec Baldwin’s Trump.
Robert Mueller
McKinnonย debuted her latest political impression on Jan. 20 episode. During an edition ofย Weekend Update,ย Mueller paid a visit to tease anchors Michael Che and Colin Jostย about the latest on the case concerning possible Russian collusion in the 2016 election.ย
Considering Mueller’s frequent appearance in political news headlines, we can assume he will be making more hilarious cameos onย Saturday Night Live.ย
ย
Jeff Sessions
McKinnon’sย most frequent political impression,ย Saturday Night Live’sย Jeff Sessions has seen some things.ย
There was the weeks when he was reportedly on Trump’s bad side, doing anything (even sitting on his lap) to get back in his good graces. Lately however he’s back to his “normal,” tail-wagging self.ย
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
This one has gotten the approval of the Supreme Court Justice herself.ย
McKinnon’sย performance of Ruth Baderย Ginsburg is probably her most popular impression to date, she plays the justice as fair-minded, progressive, and smart. And even RBGย herself has started throwing “Gins-Burns” around.ย
Kellyanne Conway
McKinnon’sย version of Kellyanneย Conway has been through a lot.ย
Starting as a political operative commenting on Donald Trump’s antics during the election, the character then descended into caricature-level insanity.ย SNL’s Conway shone the brightest in sketches mirroringย Fatal Attraction, with Kellyanneย trying to get Anderson Cooper to book her on his program, and when McKinnonย blended Conway withย Itย clown Pennywise.ย
Debbie Wasserman-Schultz
The formerย DNC chair was heavily criticized forย seeming to favor Hillary Clinton.ย McKinnon’s impression of the congresswoman did not hold back, poking fun at her critics from both sides of the political aisle think about her.ย
Betsy DeVos
One of McKinnon’s funniest impressions to date, her performance as a nervous Betsy DeVosย addressing the White House press weeks after Trump’s inauguration was anย SNLย highlight in 2017.ย
It is nearly impossible to outshine Melissa McCarthy’s performance as Sean Spicerย but, briefly, McKinnon’sย DeVosย did.ย
Angela Merkel
One of McKinnon’sย bestย Weekend Update characters is the Chancellor of Germany herself.
McKinnonย plays Angelaย Merkel as a feminist power-player who wastesย no time on men below her level. Her hilarious accent elevates her incredible performance.ย
Theresa May
The Prime Minister of England was thrust into the spotlight in the aftermath of Brexit, and again when her country needed to start opposing the actions of the U.S. President. As with Merkel, this performance stands out because of the perfectly executed accent.
Elizabeth Warren
McKinnonย lands Elizabeth Warren with a perfect score.ย
The comedianย mimics the democratic senator’s speech patterns with an ease that makes even the sourest viewer smile. And proving that she doesn’t just have accents at her disposal, her pointed hand gestures prove McKinnonย also masters physical comedy.ย
Saturday Night Liveย airs every Saturday at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBC.ย
