Dana Carvey knew Biden was ‘compromised mentally’ during SNL impressions

Comedian Dana Carvey, who played former President Biden during the last season of “Saturday Night Live,” said last week that he knew the former president was “compromised mentally” while doing his portrayal.

“I knew that he was compromised mentally. I mean, it was obvious to me, but it was a delicate thing in the comedy world. There were a lot of people [who] did not want to do anything that would kind of ding him in like an awkward way,” Carvey said during his “Fly on the Wall” podcast last week.

Carvey played Biden on SNL throughout the 2024-2025 season, often mocking the president and his administration, and receiving plaudits for his portrayal of the president as confused and forgetful.

“If I can do Biden, if I can make Biden funny to everybody, then, then I am where I want to be. And then to make it funny, it had to be recognizable. And so there’s certain things I did not include in my package,” Carvey told co-host David Spade and guest Julie Bowen, in a clip flagged by Mediaite.

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He repeated a phrase he used while playing Biden and said, “I’m not kidding around here, I’m being serious.” 

“I think it’s easier to make fun of him if he’s the president. If it’s just a 90-whatever-year-old man, just go look at this a——. So once he’s president then he’s more fair game to say, but no one made fun of him forever,” Spade added. 

Bowen, known for her role on ABC’s “Modern Family,” applauded Carvey’s Biden impressions as he discussed how he went about portraying the former president. 

“And then the defiant, 50s guy. ‘There’s no crisis at the border,’ yeah, but you said, ‘Yeah, you got to get your facts right, Jack, I’ll beat the hell out of you, you want to do some push-ups, you dog-faced pony soldier,” Carvey joked, repeating several famous phrases the former president used. 

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Carvey said playing Biden was his favorite because he “had like 10 hooks.” 

The comedian and impressionist also played George H.W. Bush and Ross Perot on “Saturday Night Live,” among numerous other roles.

Carvey said during the podcast that one of Biden’s staffers came to one of the shows and said he loved the impressions.

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The staffer said Carvey should come have lunch at the White House, but the comedian said it never happened.