Jim Carrey exits role as Joe Biden on ‘SNL’

The comic actor says he was only supposed to play the role for six weeks

Dec 20, 2020

Though Jim Carrey had some hilarious moments as Joe Biden on Saturday Night Live, the veteran comedy actor is moving on.

In a social media post Saturday, the comedic actor said he enjoyed playing the then-Democratic presidential candidate and now president-elect on the NBC weekend sketch show, but he has relinquished the role in favor of longtime SNL cast member Alex Moffat.

“Though my term was only meant to be 6 weeks, I was thrilled to be elected as your SNL President,” Carey posted on his Twitter account. ”I would love to go forward knowing that Biden was the victor because I nailed that s—. But I am just one in a long line of proud, fighting SNL Bidens!”

https://twitter.com/JimCarrey/status/1340356331610406913

According to NBC News, the comic had free reign in the Biden role, or at least a good deal of time to make the jokes pop. The outlet says that one cold open, the show’s classic opening bit, featuring Carrey lasted more than 13 minutes. Carrey portrayed Biden wearing aviator glasses and with trigger fingers, while making fun of the former vice-president’s habit of verbal blunders and folksy aphorisms.

Jim Carrey attends the LA special screening of Paramount’s “Sonic The Hedgehog” at Regency Village Theatre on February 12, 2020 in Westwood, California. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images)

Carrey was one in a long line of actors who played Biden on SNL in the past, NBC reports. Since the show’s start in 1975, Biden was first played by Kevin Nealon in 1991 during now-Justice Clarence Thomas‘ Supreme Court confirmation hearings, when Biden was a U.S. senator. When he hosted the show in 2019, Woody Harrelson played Biden. John Mulaney played Biden last year. But former SNL cast member Jason Sudeikis, aside from Carrey, is probably the actor best known for playing Biden on the show.

Carrey’s final appearance was on Nov. 7, days after the presidential election.

Maya Rudolph retains her role as Vice President-elect Kamala Harris with a new partner, Moffat. He appeared as Biden on the Dec. 19 broadcast. The longtime cast member has also portrayed Eric Trump.

You can catch Carrey as Biden in season 46 of Saturday Night Live on Peacock and Hulu. Watch Moffat’s debut below: