‘SNL’: Melissa Villasenor Debuts Spot-on Dolly Parton Impression During Weekend Update

Melissa Villaseñor brought the country to the latest episode of Saturday Night Live courtesy of her Dolly Parton impression. During the Weekend Update segment, Villaseñor appeared in order to discuss the Christmas season. But, as co-anchor Colin Jost quickly realized, the cast member was decked out in her best “Dolly Parton” look for her appearance.

While Jost was expecting Villaseñor to come out in her own, low-key outfit for the segment, she took a different approach. The comedian donned a form-fitting white dress (which put her busty chest on display) as well as a wig that looks incredibly similar to Parton’s famous hairstyle. When asked whether she was trying to get her Parton impersonation on the show by dressing up as the country icon, Villaseñor replied, “What? No. This is my special Christmas outfit. And these [pointing to her chest] are my regular big old things. I’m here to talk about Christmas.” She then proceeded to sing some of her favorite Christmas songs, including “Holly Jolly Christmas” and “Jingle Bells,” the latter of which turned into a holiday rendition of “Jolene.” The SNL star managed to sing these songs while nailing Parton’s classic twang. In other words, Villaseñor’s impersonation of the country singer had SNL viewers doing a double-take to make sure that the icon wasn’t actually making an appearance on the NBC program.

After Jost urged her to be upfront with her desire to portray Parton, Villaseñor ended her charade. “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.” She added, with a laugh, “I’m kidding.” Villaseñor ended the segment by performing one of her favorite hymns that she would listen to at midnight mass on Christmas, which just so happened to have been Parton’s classic “9 to 5.”

Just as Villaseñor mentioned during the segment, the country legend has been in the news as of late. In mid-November, it was reported that Parton helped fund the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, which has been shown to have a 94.5% efficacy. She funded the vaccine trials by donating $1 million to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, which has played an essential role in developing the vaccine.