Imitation is not sincerely flattering to Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.), evidently.
The newly elected serial fabulist tweeted Monday evening that having "now been enshrined in late night TV history with all these impersonations," he would like to note that "they are all TERRIBLE so far." Santos specifically name-checked Saturday Night Live alumnus Jon Lovitz, saying he's "supposed to be one of the greatest comedians of all time" but his Santos impersonation "was embarrassing — for him not me!" He ended by suggesting comedians "step their game up."
Santos has a point about being hard to parody. His embellishments and outrageous lies are his own act, and he is very committed to the bit. Lovitz, who appeared on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, went bigger and bolder — and threw in a song.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
On Stephen Colbert's Late Show, Harvey Guillén was only slightly more subdued, but he looked the part — and brought props and costume changes.
Jimmy Kimmel Live's impersonation was the most realistic, as Kimmel chased a kleptomaniac, questions-dodging Santos (Nelson Franklin) through the halls of Congress.
SNL had its Santos impersonator, Bowen Yang, on twice, in the NFL cold open....
...and on "Weekend Update." Yang's Santos even had an explanation about why he appears Asian — a claim Santos has not yet made, as far as we know.
The full Oscar Wilde quote is: "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness." Wilde borrowed that idea. Santos borrowed all his purported greatness from jobs he never had, history he never earned, people he never knew, and institutions he never attended. So maybe the better adage here is about people in glass houses not throwing stones.
-
How clean-air efforts may have exacerbated global warmingUnder the Radar Air pollution artificially cooled the Earth, ‘masking’ extent of temperature increase
-
September 14 editorial cartoonsCartoons Sunday’s political cartoons include RFK Jr on the hook, the destruction of discourse, and more
-
Air strikes in the Caribbean: Trump’s murky narco-warTalking Point Drug cartels ‘don’t follow Marquess of Queensberry Rules’, but US military air strikes on speedboats rely on strained interpretation of ‘invasion’
-
House posts lewd Epstein note attributed to TrumpSpeed Read The estate of Jeffrey Epstein turned over the infamous 2003 birthday note from President Donald Trump
-
Supreme Court allows 'roving' race-tied ICE raidsSpeed Read The court paused a federal judge's order barring agents from detaining suspected undocumented immigrants in LA based on race
-
South Korea to fetch workers detained in Georgia raidSpeed Read More than 300 South Korean workers detained in an immigration raid at a Hyundai plant will be released
-
DC sues Trump to end Guard 'occupation'Speed Read D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb argues that the unsolicited military presence violates the law
-
RFK Jr. faces bipartisan heat in Senate hearingSpeed Read The health secretary defended his leadership amid CDC turmoil and deflected questions about the restricted availability of vaccines
-
White House defends boat strike as legal doubts mountSpeed Read Experts say there was no legal justification for killing 11 alleged drug-traffickers
-
Epstein accusers urge full file release, hint at own listspeed read A rally was organized by Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie, who are hoping to force a vote on their Epstein Files Transparency Act
-
Court hands Harvard a win in Trump funding battleSpeed Read The Trump administration was ordered to restore Harvard's $2 billion in research grants
