Everyone Who Has Played Joe Biden on SNL

Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. — or Joe Biden, as most Americans know him — has had a long political career, dating back to when he was first elected to the Senate in 1972. But while he was very busy in D.C. as a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Biden wasn't immortalized in a Saturday Night Live sketch until 1991. 

Back when Season 17 cast member Kevin Nealon first played Biden in a sketch about the Clarence Thomas hearings, no one could've predicted Biden would be portrayed by two movie stars and several members of the SNL cast many years later. While Jason Sudeikis played Biden when he was vice president, several other actors took on the impersonation through his primary campaign, the 2020 election, and his subsequent presidency. And each performer brought a little something different to the table.

So who will play Joe Biden on SNL in Season 50? We'll likely find out during the premiere on September 28, kicking off a milestone season that'll welcome Maya Rudolph back to play Vice President Kamala Harris — and, most likely, a few more surprise guests. Read on to learn about every actor who's played Joe Biden on Saturday Night Live over the years. 

RELATED: Maya Rudolph Made a Hysterical Kamala Harris in This Emmy-Winning SNL Episode

Who's played Joe Biden on Saturday Night Live? 

Kevin Nealon
Year impersonating Joe Biden: 1991

Al Franken as Sen. Paul Simon, Chris Farley as Howell Heflin, Phil Hartman as Ted Kennedy, Kevin Nealon as Joseph Biden, Dana Carvey as Storm Thurmond during the 'Clarence Thomas Hearings' skit on Saturday Night Live on October 21, 1991 Photo: Alan Singer/NBC

Kevin Nealon certainly looked the part when he played a 48-year-old Biden in the "Clarence Thomas Hearings" cold open, alongside Phil Hartman as Ted Kennedy and Tim Meadows as the Supreme Court Justice. 

RELATED: Saturday Night Live Is Celebrating 50 Years with a Three-Hour Primetime Special

Jason Sudeikis
Years impersonating Joe Biden: 2007-2021

Kate McKinnon as Elizabeth Warren, Jason Sudeikis as Joe Biden, and Larry David as Bernie Sanders during the "Democratic Debate" Cold Open on Saturday Night Live on December 14, 2019. Photo: Will Heath/NBC

A cast member from 2005-2013, Jason Sudeikis debuted his Joe Biden impression on November 3, 2007 (which also happened to be Maya Rudolph's final episode as a cast member). Sudeikis would play Biden throughout Barack Obama's presidential campaign and presidency, and he returned after his exit to play him intermittently over the years through 2019. 

Sudeikis also played one of three Bidens when he returned to host in 2021 (more on that below).

Biden Bash

Woody Harrelson
Year impersonating Joe Biden: 2021

Larry David as Bernie Sanders, Woody Harrelson as Joe Biden, and Maya Rudolph as Kamala Harris during the "DNC Town Hall" sketch on Saturday Night Live on September 28, 2019. Photo: Will Heath/NBC

Woody Harrelson's tenure portraying Biden was brief, donning a pair of enormous fake white teeth for just three sketches. 

John Mulaney
Year impersonating Joe Biden: 2020

John Mulaney as Joe Biden, Beck Bennett as Mike Pence, and Kate McKinnon as Elizabeth Warren during the "Corona Virus" Cold Open on Saturday, February 29, 2020 Photo: Will Heath/NBC

John Mulaney's sole stint playing Joe Biden came during the cold open of the February 29, 2020 episode he hosted. 

"Joe Biden? You look...different," Mike Pence (Beck Bennett) told him when he walked into the sketch, a meta commentary on the unlikely fill-in following Harrelson's run. 

"Yeah, the surgery is starting to settle," Mulaney's Biden shot back. Larry David also returned in the sketch to play Senator Bernie Sanders, and Rachel Dratch was back as Senator Amy Klobuchar.

Jim Carrey
Year impersonating Joe Biden: 2020

Maya Rudolph as Kamala Harris and Jim Carrey as Joe Biden during the "Biden Halloween" Cold Open on Saturday Night Live on October 31, 2020. Photo: Kyle Dubiel/NBC

In Season 46, Jim Carrey gave playing Biden a whirl (with even bigger, brighter teeth than Harrelson), tag-teaming with Rudolph as Biden's running mate, Kamala Harris. He stepped down from the part before the midseason break, writing in a now-deleted X post, "my term was only meant to be 6 weeks."

Biden Halloween Cold Open

Alex Moffat
Years impersonating Joe Biden: 2020-2021

Alex Moffat as Joe Biden, Maya Rudolph as Kamala Harris, and Beck Bennett as Mike Pence during the "Pence Gets The Vaccine" Cold Open during Saturday Night Live on December 19, 2020. Photo: Will Heath/NBC

Season 46 cast member Alex Moffat swooped in to play Biden after Carrey put down the wig. And when Jason Sudeikis hosted on October 23, 2021 ahead of Halloween, he was joined by Moffat and James Austin Johnson as their respective Joe Bidens in the cold open, "Ghosts of Biden Past."

Ghost of Biden Past Cold Open

James Austin Johnson
Years impersonating Joe Biden: 2021-2022

Alex Moffat as President Joe Biden, host Jason Sudeikis as President Joe Biden, and James Austin Johnson as President Joe Biden during the "Biden Meeting" Cold Open on Saturday Night Live on October 23, 2021. Photo: Will Heath/NBC

While Season 50 cast member and master impressionist James Austin Johnson is better known for his Donald Trump impression, he replaced Moffat in the Season 47 premiere. However, as talented as he is, Johnson's not able to be both Biden and Trump at the same time. And so...

Mikey Day
Years impersonating Joe Biden: 2023-2024

Mikey Day as Joe Biden and Christopher Walken as the Spirit of Halloween during the “Biden Halloween” Cold Open on Saturday Night Live Episode 1847 on Saturday, October 28, 2023. Photo: Will Heath/NBC

Fellow cast member Mikey Day took over in Season 49, debuting his Biden during the "Biden Halloween" cold open for Nate Bargatze's October 28, 2023 episode.

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