Nine Actors Have Played Donald Trump on 'SNL.' Who Was Very Great and Who Got Fired?

The hair, the voice, the increasingly unnatural skin tone — when it comes to Donald Trump, businessman and the 45th President of the United States, professional impressionists have plenty of traits to pull from.

Given that Saturday Night Live has been on the air for five decades (the show’s historic 50th season premiered on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024), its cast members and guest hosts have been able to parody the various versions of Trump for quite some time. From the time he was a mere multimillionaire real estate broker, to his turn as the host of the NBC reality competition The Apprentice, to, most recently, his run as the Republican Party’s nominee in the 2024 presidential race, Trump has been an SNL fixture.

Here are nine actors who have portrayed Donald Trump on Saturday Night Live, from longtime series stars like Darrell Hammond to celebrity cameos like John Cena.

Every actor who has played Donald Trump on Saturday Night Live

Phil Hartman

The late, great Phil Hartman was a member of the SNL cast for eight seasons, from 1986 through 1994. During that time, he donned Donald’s signature combover four times, beginning with the December 1988 cold open “A Trump Christmas” opposite Jan Hooks as Trump’s estranged first wife Ivana Trump. (Hooks would appear two years later as Trump’s second wife, Marla Maples, opposite Hartman’s impersonation.)

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Darrell Hammond

Comedian Darrell Hammond has the distinction of portraying Trump the longest on Saturday Night Live, first as a regular cast member — he starred on the sketch-comedy series from 1995 to 2009 — and later reprising the role as a returning guest in 2015 and ’16. His first take on the impersonation was in a 1999 sketch featuring Ross Perot (Cheri Oteri) on the hunt for a “new crazy leader” for the Reform Party, with Trump as one of the potential candidates. Overall, Hammond’s Trump take was critically acclaimed and was even publicly praised by its subject — after Hammond was replaced by actor Alec Baldwin in September 2016, Trump took to Twitter, posting: “Bring back Darrell Hammond, funnier and a far greater talent!”

Jason Sudeikis

Though he’s better known for an impersonation of Donald Trump’s 2020 presidential rival, Joe Biden, Jason Sudeikis did parody Trump once during his nine-season run on Saturday Night Live. During a November 2012 episode, the Ted Lasso star popped up in a Fox & Friends-themed cold open as a particularly purse-lipped Trump, who was calling in to criticize President Barack Obama’s handling of Hurricane Sandy.

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Taran Killam

A cast member from 2010 to 2016, Taran Killam appeared three times as the then-presidential candidate during his final season of the show. His Trump debut was during an October 2015 sketch entitled "A Message From Donald & Melania Trump", with co-star Cecily Strong portraying the soon-to-be First Lady. He also made a Trump cameo alongside Donald himself in a November 2015 episode; they were joined by fellow Trump impersonator Darrell Hammond.

Alec Baldwin

Along with being the record holder for the person who has hosted Saturday Night Live the most times — a whopping 17 — actor Alec Baldwin also holds the distinction of appearing as Donald Trump on SNL more than any other performer, with 46 sketch appearances under his belt as well as a Primetime Emmy and Critics' Choice Award for his portrayal. He debuted his impression in October 2016, in a presidential debate-themed bit opposite Kate McKinnon as Hillary Clinton and Michael Che as debate moderator Lester Holt.

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John Cena

Physically, the very muscular wrestler turned comedy actor John Cena isn’t exactly who you’d immediately imagine to play the septuagenarian Trump. However, that bodily contrast was played for laughs in a December 2016 “Through Donald’s Eyes” short, which saw Cena hilariously play the POTUS-to-be’s reflection in the mirror, oversized hands and all.

Leslie Jones

A February 2017 episode ended with the pre-taped mockumentary sketch “Leslie Wants to Play Trump,” in which cast member Leslie Jones — who appeared on the NBC comedy series from 2014 to 2019 — expressed her desire to go against type (“People keep casting me as somebody who always yells!”) and showcase her own Donald Trump impersonation. The gag was made even more hilarious when, after boss Lorne Michaels shut down her parody, co-star Vanessa Bayer sauntered by wearing full Trump garb with her own audition ready to go.

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Shane Gillis

During his hosting debut in Season 49, stand-up comic and controversial SNL alum Shane Gillis got to tinker with his own Trump impersonation in a pre-taped sketch, “Trump Sneakers.” The funny clip first saw Gillis play a man named Gordon, who ends up magically transforming into America’s 45th president when he slips on a pair of real-life Trump-licensed gold sneakers. The bit culminates in Gillis’s Trump going head-to-head on the basketball court opposite James Austin Johnson’s own impersonation.

James Austin Johnson

Most recently, the role of Donald Trump has been played on Saturday Night Live by current cast member James Austin Johnson, with the comic kicking off his uncanny impersonation in Season 47 of the show. He reprised his parody of the former president in the Season 50 premiere, appearing in an election-season cold open alongside returning SNL stars Maya Rudolph as Democratic nominee Kamala Harris and Dana Carvey as President Joe Biden.

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