Over the past few decades, political impressions by comedians have been gaining popularity. During this especially controversial election, numerous comedians and television shows are participating in them. Celebrities are also joining in on the trend, including Jimmy Fallon, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, and even Meryl Streep. Members of Saturday Night Live have been doing these impressions for a very long time and many people tune in to the popular comedy show. Some might wonder what the attraction is behind the impressions, while others enjoy the light humor that they bring to stressful political issues.

When asked why he thought these impressions were so popular, Grant Sheppard ’19 shared his opinion, stating that “It’s hard to say. I think Americans in an especially negative election want to make light of the negativity with humor, but a lot of times it makes more controversy because many late night T.V. shows often play to their base.” Some might find this to be true. Many popular comedic television shows mock Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton, which begs the question, “are these shows meant to ease tension or do they simply create more controversy and debate?” On The Daily Show, Jordan Klepper goes to a Trump rally and essentially exploits and mocks Trump supporters. This video went viral, appearing on major social media sites including Twitter, which has more than 300 million active users. This caused extreme debate on both sides of the election. Although comedic relief was intended, this video caused the opposite. However, there do remain more lighthearted and innocent impressionists as well.

On The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Fallon does impressions of both our current presidential candidates, which makes the impressions appear less biased. Chase Fallon ’19 commented, “I think political imitations definitely ease the controversy because the comedians make both good and bad points about the candidates, which lets viewers laugh but also learn.”  Although many late night TV shows with imitations are comedy based, they often have a level of truth to them. When asked if he thinks impressions lighten controversy, Matt Cauchy, Upper School Physics teacher, stated, “I don’t think it does. [Political impressions] don’t change people’s opinion of whatever issue is controversial. Making fun of it doesn’t change how they feel about it.” While some find the impressions funny, others find them aggravating and biased.

Despite varying opinions of political imitations, they have grown to become one of the most popular things on television. When asked why he thinks they are so popular, Jenks Whittenburg, Upper School computer teacher, commented, “Politics are inherently very serious, so when you point out something absurd or ridiculous [about them], that appeals to audiences.” This circles back to the idea of making light out of an otherwise humorless topic. On The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Fallon does many comedic impressions of political figures, and his show can receive up to four million views. Whether it’s viewers looking to laugh or wanting a break from the hectic world of elections, political impressions are extremely popular in the United States.

Although political impressions are now gaining popularity at a fast rate, they have been used as comedic relief in politics for many years. These impressions can evoke controversy, but in general they tend to ease tensions between Republicans and Democrats and allow everyone to share a laugh. In all, political impressions center on comedic satire to alleviate controversy in political elections, and they can serve to unite people in this time of controversy.