Fauxbama, Finally! Fred Armisen Is SNL's New Barack Obama

After nine weeks of strike darkness and a week of breathless rumors ETP can confirm: SNL regular Fred Armisen is Saturday Night Live's Barack Obama, adding the junior Senator from Illinois to the show's 33 years of political impressions.

The show had been in a bind since the beginning of the season, disadvantaged by having only one black male cast member, Kenan Thompson, whose fuller body type was inconsistent with the Senator's slim, lanky frame. Though Thompson had been rumored to be trying to lose weight for the gig - one which could well lead to a meaty recurring role playing the President of the United States - earlier this week founder/executive producer Lorne Michaels told several press outlets that the search for someone to play Obama was on, both inside and outside the current cast. The decision to cast Armisen was made on Thursday, and will be officially announced to the world tonight at 11:30 ET when the live broadcast kicks off.

Expect to see some controversy from this decision: Though Armisen has played an ethnically diverse range of characters before - including Iranian dictator Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Prince - the minority of black faces on SNL has been noted in the past, and the chance to give this plum role to a non-black player will surly generate debate (never mind resuscitating the old "Is Obama black enough?" question). Still, there is precedent: Darrell Hammond's impression of Jesse Jackson, Horatio Sanz as Aaron Neville, Maya Rudolph as Liza Minelli — on SNL, if you can play the part and be funny doing it, that's enough. The verdict from the dress rehearsal audience was generally enthusiastic ("Very funny!" said one audience member who approved of the Armisen decision; "Hilarious!" agreed two other young men wearing Hillary stickers, both of whom felt SNL had been more than fair to their candidate). "Funny" should blunt controversy somewhat, since that is the raison d'etre of the show (agree/disagree in comments).

Steve Martin is also set to make a cameo, along with Mike Huckebee, who is set to do a campaign-appropriate bit for "Weekend Update." There's also a walk-on by Obama Girl - the actual Obama Girl, Amber Lee Ettinger. Also debuting tonight is new cast member Casey Wilson.

Previous coverage here.

Comments

[phansen]

surely has an E in it. although the debate provoked, while pointless, may in fact become surly.

[nachtengel]

NBC boards are getting traction on the Tina Fey / Clinton endorsment.

http://boards.nbc.com/nbc/index.php?showtopic=786512&st=0&gopid=3040443&#entry3040443

[Spender]

Very enjoyable. Tina was great and the show had me laughing through all 90 minutes.
Her endorsement of Hilary was a bit cringe-worthy but only a slight flaw in an otherwise entertaining hour and a half.
Armisen did a good job (given little in the way of laugh lines) and I look forward to more of his take on Obama.

[nachtengel]

Tina Fey and NBC just endorsed Hillary Clinton on SNL.

She even went to so far as to directly address Texas and Ohio, telling them it's not to late for Hillary.

Boo Tina Fey. Shame on you.

[trex67]

"Boo Tina Fey. Shame on you."

Would you be saying that if she'd endorsed Barack? And BTW Tina Fey isn't the official voice of NBC, her views are her own.

I support Barack and truly hope that he's our next President, but I'm sick of his supporter's ad hominem attacks on Ms Clinton. She's not the Devil. These people sound like Rush Limbaugh, not Democrats or progressives. They're damaging the only alternative to continued neocon rule - the Democratic candidate will need all of Hillary's supporters and all of Barack's supporters to win back the Presidency. So if you want McCain for four to eight years, keep it up, you're doing the Republicans bidding.

[nachtengel]

I liked Tina and her work, a LOT.

I also am fine with her supporting Hillary (though I am not sure why she would).

An no, it would have been just as bad to cross the line and have spent the entire (not so funny) skit dissing Hillary & Co, and endorsing Obama.

I would have completely understood the backlash form the Hillary camp, and thought it was sleezy.

Yes I support Obama, but I also support the ability to make fun of his and any other campaign and even his character etc. The campaign trail, and things candidates do are bizzare sometimes.

But abusing the platform like this, is just disgraceful, and Tina is loosing a LOT of fans, which NBC will translate as money walking out the door, and there will be fallout.

[CountryBeforeParty]

Yes Tina Fey... shame on you for having an opinion. We had eight years of Bushbots, and now it is time for you to submit to the will of Obama Nation!

/sarcasmoff

[Mikey2U]

Hillary rocks.
Barack Hussein Obama and his cult of followers are creepy much.

[ParadiseDiva]

Have you noticed the religious tone creeping into his campaign lately?

[ACunningham]

Bill Clinton PROFITED $146,000,000.00 by making a deal with Kazakhstan's MUSLIM DICTATOR...

...And, Billary Supporters have the audacity to accuse Obama of being a muslim???

[JaneaneTheAcerbicGoblin]

An ironic point here is that the press made a big deal about Fey being the first female head writer for SNL. As we all know, Fey's tenure was one of the worst in SNL history. The show was even more abysmal than usual under her leadership.

Hillary seems to be making hay about being the first woman president, but if she somehow pulls it out, she'll be the equivalent that Fey was on SNL. A pillar of mediocrity.

[Bertrude]

It was funny, he looked like him, but he still needs work when it comes to his voice and characteristics.

[Naugatuck73]

Wow - SNL totally mailed it in - The show was incredibly lame - Armisen has played african-american characters before his Prince is an absolute scream.

His Obama totaly was lame - the sketch was totally unfunny- the cringeworthy moments of barely a laugh out of the audience. Andy Griffith re-runs more appealing - Gee- surprisingly - since they only had 4 months to write -

Tina Fey's unfunny monologue with Steve Martin thrown in was also weak. Has Steve Martin been funny in the last twenty years or so -

As usual - Fey pours on the sexism - Martin slapping her in the face - extremely cutting edge and the jokes about women menstrating once a year - oh, how clever

The lamest of all was the VH-1 takeoff on Brett Michaels - you can hear the cast and the writing crew just mailed it in -

Don Knotts and Aunt Bee on Nick at night funnier