Tina Fey made another return to Saturday Night Live, and it wouldn't be an SNL alumnus hosting if some of her past characters didn't return as well. The sketch comedy program decided to put Fey back in the "Oval Office" with her best Alaskan accent to parody former vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin. Fey had the audience feeling like it was 2008 all over again as she joked about present-day politics and even broke into a musical number with some other familiar faces:
Tina Fey looked as though she had never left as her reprisal of Sarah Palin looked just as good in the present as it did back in the day. Fey's jokes about Palin weren't as subdued as previous performances, as a biting remark about the first woman on a Republican presidential ticket now tweeting for Bass Pro Shops got quite a reaction from the audience. From there, the skit devolved into the typical Broadway-style musical number the show has leaned on for years, which was fine as it allowed for other members of the cast and other former SNL alumni Fred Armisen to make an appearance. John Goodman also swooped in for another one of SNL's patented celebrity political figure cameos and truly seemed to relish appearing as Rex Tillerson once again on the program.
As good as Saturday Night Live's political impersonations have been as of late, it's very hard for any actor to reach the level of imitation Tina Fey has as Sarah Palin. Of course, it doesn't hurt that Palin and Fey are practically doppelgangers, which elevates Fey's impersonation of the former Alaskan governor and Vice-Presidential nominee just that much more. Saturday Night Live certainly took advantage of the similarities during the 2008 presidential campaign, and even had Palin appear on television alongside Fey in a sketch:
Sarah Palin has posted to her social media (but not about Bass Pro Shop) since Tina Fey's hosting of Saturday Night Live but has yet to offer any comment on the segment. If she does view the episode, hopefully, she watches the full season finale as things got far more star-studded for SNL outside of this skit. Fey was the star of the show, but Season 43 also featured appearances by Robert DeNiro, Donald Glover, Jerry Seinfeld, Benedict Cumberbatch, Anne Hathaway, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Tracy Morgan.
Saturday Night Live has wrapped for Season 43 on NBC, but those who missed any of the latest season can catch up on Hulu. For a list of what's on the way for television, visit our summer premiere guide. For more on Tina Fey, be sure to read up on the classic Mean Girls moment the actress experienced in real life.
