JIM CARREY poked fun at Donald Trump’s Covid-19 diagnosis during his much-anticipated appearance as Joe Biden on the hit US sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live.
Carrey appeared opposite Alec Baldwin in a segment lampooning this week’s presidential debate.
Filmed in front of a specially vetted studio audience at New York’s Rockefeller Center, the episode went ahead with its spoof of the debate despite the President contracting coronavirus.
While Baldwin returned to the show to play Trump all eyes were on Carrey as Biden, with most critics agreeing that the Ace Ventura actor did a spot-on impression of the Irish-American Democrat.
Much of the sketch served as an exaggerated re-run of the actual debate, with Trump talking over Biden and Biden making increasingly odd threats.
““Look man, I’m a nice guy, but if you give me anymore guff, I’ll rip your face off like a mad chimp,” he said at one point, to much laughter from the studio audience.
However, the standout moment came when Carrey, as Biden, pulled out a remote control and “paused” the President.
“Sorry, but I think we all needed a break,” Carrey said.
“Isn’t that satisfying? Just not to hear his voice for a single goddamn second? Let’s wallow in it. Let’s bask in the Trumplessness.”
Speaking directly to the American people as Biden, he continued “Look at me. Look directly into my eyeballs. You can trust me because I believe in science and karma. Now, just imagine if science and karma could somehow team up and send us all a message about how dangerous this virus can be.
“I’m not saying I want it to happen. Just imagine if it did,” he continued. “So this November, please get on the Biden train, which is literally a commuter train to Delaware and we can all make America not actively on fire again.”
Carrey wasn’t the only one to poke fun at the President’s condition with comedian and host Chris Rock also weaving a gag into his opening monologue.
““President Trump’s in the hospital from COVID and you know, I just want to say my heart goes out to COVID,” the comedian joked.
Born and raised in Toronto, Canada, like Biden, Carrey has family ties to Ireland.
His mother, Kathleen, is of Irish descent.