There is perhaps no impression in the history of Saturday Night Live that has generated more headlines and hot takes than Donald Trump. The longtime pop culture figure and current US President has been portrayed by a half dozen or so cast members, hosts and friends of the show, most prominently by Darrell Hammond, Alec Baldwin and currently, James Austin Johnson. The switch from Hammond to Baldwin in the lead-up to the 2016 Presidential election was especially divisive and almost a decade later, Hammond explained why it happened and how he felt about it.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Hammond admitted he “didn’t like it” but said longtime showrunner Lorne Michaels did what he thought was right. He said the show wanted an impression that was more likely to generate a big response and go viral, and that wasn't his softer take on Trump everyone had already been watching for multiple decades. He said the tough decision “paid off” given how much press it attracted but said coming to terms with it was “tough.” Here’s a portion of his quote…
