‘SNL’: Alec Baldwin Hints He Is ‘So Done’ Portraying Donald Trump

Playing President Donald Trump on Saturday Night Live might have earned Alec Baldwin an Emmy, but the actor is ready to move on. The former 30 Rock star hinted that Lorne Michaels might have to find a new actor to play the part.

When asked if he plans to play Trump in Season 45, Baldwin told USA Today he “can’t imagine” he would do it again.

“I just can’t. They should find somebody who wants to do it,” Baldwin said. “They’re all my dear friends and I love going there, but the other thing is that I’m going to go to work this fall in a way I haven’t done in a while.”

He went on to say because of the changes in his family dynamic in welcoming another child last year, he wants to set his priorities straight.

“My wife and I had a son a year ago, and since he was born, I’ve worked minimally because I wanted to be there for my wife and kids. But the party’s over this fall and I’ll be traveling,” he said. “SNL just crushes my weekends, and now weekends are going to become much more precious to me because that’s time with my kids.”

Baldwin had a suggestion for a replacement: comedian Anthony Atamanuik, who plays Trump in Comedy Central’s The President Show. He noted that when Atamanuik came on the scene, people started telling him his Trump impression sucked.

“It also was something I thought to myself: ‘I really don’t have a lot invested in my Trump impersonation, so please find someone and convince Lorne (Michaels) to replace me,’” Baldwin continued. “I’m completely down with that. Winning the Emmy for that show aside, it was not some career goal of mine.”

Baldwin later added: “So if [Atamanuik] wants the job, it’s his. He can have it. I’ve done that. I mean, I had a lot of fun with [the cast], and when Chris Kelly and Sarah Schneider wrote [Trump sketches in 2016 and 2017], that was new, it was fresh and the ratings were good. But I feel like I’m done with that now. I’m so done with that.”

Baldwin started playing Trump during the 2016 Presidential campaign and won an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 2017. He earned a second nomination in 2018.

During Season 44, Baldwin’s appearances as Trump became few and far between, especially during the second half. He returned for the season finale, appearing in the cold open to join the cast for a Trump-themed version of Queen’s “Don’t Stop Me Now.”

The impression got plenty of attention, even from Trump himself. Last year, Trump even told SNL that Darrell Hammond is a “far greater talent,” which Baldwin seems to agree with.

“Darrell Hammond did it and is a far better impressionist than I’ll ever be,” Baldwin admitted to USA Today.

Baldwin’s new project is Framing John DeLorean, in which he plays the late DeLorean creator. The biopic opens in New York and will be available on demand Friday. He also stars in Edward Norton’s Motherless Brooklyn, which opens on Nov. 1.

Photo credit: NBC