jim Carrey is done playing Joe Biden on Saturday Night Live.
The actor will pass the role of the president-elect on to someone else for the remainder of SNL‘s season. Sources tell The Hollywood Reporter that the plan was always for Carrey to play Biden in the first six episodes of the season, leading up to and immediately following the election — though that wasn’t stated outright when Carrey first came aboard.
In a tweet announcing the news, Carrey wrote, “Though my term was only meant to be 6 weeks, I was thrilled to be elected as your SNL President … comedy’s highest call of duty. I would love to go forward knowing that Biden was the victor because I nailed that shit. But I am just one in a long line of proud, fighting SNL Bidens!”
SNL responded in a tweet, “Thank you to Jim Carrey for showing up when it mattered.”
Carrey’s short run as Biden stands in contrast to Alec Baldwin’s impersonation of Donald Trump, which he played throughout the current president’s term in office.
Carrey was the third person to play Biden on SNL in 2020, following guest appearances by Woody Harrelson and former castmember Jason Sudeikis (who played the former vice president frequently during the Obama years) in the primary season.
Sources declined to comment on whether there would be a Biden sketch on Saturday’s Kristen Wiig-hosted episode, the final one of 2020.
Carrey’s performance on Biden drew mixed reviews. THR‘s chief TV critic Daniel Fienberg noted after the season premiere that Carrey “brought a wiry energy to his impersonation, an energy that has absolutely no connection to the guy running for president currently.”
