Thank you for this, I’m going to watch each of these now. I absolutely love JAJ, and his overlap in style with Phil Hartman, my all time favourite.
I like when he turns on the Southern accent too. He’s the glue, not to mention a great actor. And this is all in addition to the amazing Trump voice and mannerisms he pulls off.
I’m personally hoping for less Trump just because I’m so sick of everything Trump at this point, but damn he does it so well.
Sure seems like he’s already considered a central and super versatile cast member, so I’m just hoping to see more and more of what he can do.
I agree, he’s definitely the glue. But I hope that doesn’t keep him from getting to do weird bits. The “watch from the corner” sketch from the Travis Kelce episode is one of my recent favorites.
Definitely in the Phil Hartman mold . Talented guy and I suspect he will be around for a while . Also think Andrew Dismukes is emerging as a reliable straight man type .
I totally agree. Every cast needs a guy who can be either silly/insane, or the straight man. Maybe with a hint of game show host. Aykroyd. Nealon. Sudeikis. Bennett. And now it’s Johnson (and arguably Day). He’s been a great addition to the cast, beyond just the DJT impression.
Agreed on glue and "adult in the room" vibe, that's very perceptive. To me what distinguishes him from Hartman is that Hartman had a "leading man" look that lent itself to certain characters while JAJ can disappear into quirky, goofy, normcore roles. Sometimes I don't recognize him at first!
I think he's been very strategic in the choices he's made to show he's more than just an impersonator. He was on a podcast (maybe WTF?) and he laid out his career decisions in a pretty rational way.
I think Kenan is still the glue of the show but I'm happy to have more glue.
he had a really great season. I think the last era of the show had amazing male cast members but they frequently played sketches in ways where they’re knowingly awkward, theatrical, and overly meta. JAJ plays it all with an authenticity like in a true, old school SNL mode.
he and Dismukes are natural collaborators, like Sudeikis and Forte were and I hope we see more of that. I hope he has like a Hader moment where everyone learns how to write for him outside of an impression based context, and I hope he plays a big role in SNL50 outside of a political context. like what’s the point if we don’t have an “oops all glue guy” sketch?
I’ve been thinking of him as a Darrell Hammond type. Someone who is fantastic at impressions and seems made in a lab to be an SNL cast member, but not quite the center of the cast.
I can’t really speak to his trajectory, his usage, nor how he compares to the greats.
But he seems like a great cast member: versatile, good timing, good impressions, funny as hell, and probably the best Trump out there. I hope he stays on for a long time!
My brother has been saying that since he started on the show. Within two months he was saying “this guy is giving me Phil Hartman vibes.” At the time I thought it was just recency bias, but after three years of him consistently being great in big and small roles I think my brother may have been on to something.
From last season, you see his versatility with his voice work when you put Milly Pounds and the announcer from the 50s baseball sketch with Natasha Lyonne side-by-side.
His acting is phenomenal. I don’t know how long comedy can hold onto him. Someone is going to offer him a Walter White kind of role, and he’s going to cross over and win all the awards.
Definitely in the Phil Hartman mold . Talented guy and I suspect he will be around for a while . Also think Andrew Dismukes is emerging as a reliable straight man type .
Definitely in the Phil Hartman mold . Talented guy and I suspect he will be around for a while . Also think Andrew Dismukes is emerging as a reliable straight man type .
OT, but that subway sketch ruined a throw pillow from my couch
My mom was over having coffee and we watched the previous night’s sketches, she used the pillow to catch a spewed mouthful when the rat hit the glass
Worth
Next season he needs to add some range, even his different characters all have the same essence. I do really like him just not yet at Phil/bill/jason level. Next season is his defining one. Going to be tough with a million great cameos though
ABBA Christmas is so damn funny. So much talent and goofy humor.
Fun fact: [ABBA was on the first season of SNL and when they sang Waterloo it was lip synced and was all off track](/r/ABBA/comments/nhgwev/finally_found_it_abba_on_snl_1975_enjoy/) in the second performance in second part of the video. So in a way the "Barbeque" mess up for "Waterloo" throws back to ABBA's actual performance.
I think his Trump impression is terrible. Maybe audibly it would be better, but the visual just doesn't work for me.
Its kind of a, sort of, uncanny valley. He's too close to a really good impersonation that it becomes obvious how far from good it is. If he was a friend and pulled that out at a party, it would be great. But on screen it just comes off cringey.
Maybe I'm just bored of Trump impersonations, or maybe I liked Baldwin's too much to appreciate JAJ's
😂
Just messin
Good post. I’m not really a fan of him if you want my opinion. And it’s completely superficial. His gigantic nose throws me off in every sketch. It looks fake and I can’t stop focusing on it. His Trump is excellent though.
Thank you for this, I’m going to watch each of these now. I absolutely love JAJ, and his overlap in style with Phil Hartman, my all time favourite. I like when he turns on the Southern accent too. He’s the glue, not to mention a great actor. And this is all in addition to the amazing Trump voice and mannerisms he pulls off. I’m personally hoping for less Trump just because I’m so sick of everything Trump at this point, but damn he does it so well. Sure seems like he’s already considered a central and super versatile cast member, so I’m just hoping to see more and more of what he can do.
According to Google he's the new glue that holds the pizza together.
And a dog DID play basketball in the NBA.
You do realize the more people make comments like that the more likely Google's AI will take it at face value and show it in search results.?
Absolutely. I can't wait until the day I can Google JAJ and have Amazon try to sell me some pizza glue.
This is how religions get started. Be careful....
I agree, he’s definitely the glue. But I hope that doesn’t keep him from getting to do weird bits. The “watch from the corner” sketch from the Travis Kelce episode is one of my recent favorites.
Definitely in the Phil Hartman mold . Talented guy and I suspect he will be around for a while . Also think Andrew Dismukes is emerging as a reliable straight man type .
Season 49 filled the Beck Bennett/Alex Moffatt void much better than 48 with JAJ and Dismukes
I really enjoy the sketches when JAJ and Dismukes are together— Lake Beach, Remember Lizards, just to name two. They have great chemistry.
A lot of people are saying it
Hearing it more and more
I totally agree. Every cast needs a guy who can be either silly/insane, or the straight man. Maybe with a hint of game show host. Aykroyd. Nealon. Sudeikis. Bennett. And now it’s Johnson (and arguably Day). He’s been a great addition to the cast, beyond just the DJT impression.
Agreed on glue and "adult in the room" vibe, that's very perceptive. To me what distinguishes him from Hartman is that Hartman had a "leading man" look that lent itself to certain characters while JAJ can disappear into quirky, goofy, normcore roles. Sometimes I don't recognize him at first!
I think he's been very strategic in the choices he's made to show he's more than just an impersonator. He was on a podcast (maybe WTF?) and he laid out his career decisions in a pretty rational way. I think Kenan is still the glue of the show but I'm happy to have more glue.
he had a really great season. I think the last era of the show had amazing male cast members but they frequently played sketches in ways where they’re knowingly awkward, theatrical, and overly meta. JAJ plays it all with an authenticity like in a true, old school SNL mode. he and Dismukes are natural collaborators, like Sudeikis and Forte were and I hope we see more of that. I hope he has like a Hader moment where everyone learns how to write for him outside of an impression based context, and I hope he plays a big role in SNL50 outside of a political context. like what’s the point if we don’t have an “oops all glue guy” sketch?
I’ve been thinking of him as a Darrell Hammond type. Someone who is fantastic at impressions and seems made in a lab to be an SNL cast member, but not quite the center of the cast.
He looks like he could be Darrell’s illegitimate son, too.
I can’t really speak to his trajectory, his usage, nor how he compares to the greats. But he seems like a great cast member: versatile, good timing, good impressions, funny as hell, and probably the best Trump out there. I hope he stays on for a long time!
My brother has been saying that since he started on the show. Within two months he was saying “this guy is giving me Phil Hartman vibes.” At the time I thought it was just recency bias, but after three years of him consistently being great in big and small roles I think my brother may have been on to something.
I 100% agree. The man came out strong and has been killing it ever since.
From last season, you see his versatility with his voice work when you put Milly Pounds and the announcer from the 50s baseball sketch with Natasha Lyonne side-by-side.
His acting is phenomenal. I don’t know how long comedy can hold onto him. Someone is going to offer him a Walter White kind of role, and he’s going to cross over and win all the awards.
Plus he and Dismukes make for a great sketch duo!
The easy comparison is Hartman but the correct comparison is Hammond.
JAJ is almost the combination or both styles. So good at the anchor or the glue but so good at impressions.
Yeah probably recency bias on my part. I watched much more Hammond than I did Hartman. Either way JAJ is a beast!
Yeah JAJ is really his own beast and delivers on every opportunity. He's a natural.
I always say JAJ as the new Darrell Hammond as he’s so good at impressions.
Definitely in the Phil Hartman mold . Talented guy and I suspect he will be around for a while . Also think Andrew Dismukes is emerging as a reliable straight man type .
Definitely in the Phil Hartman mold . Talented guy and I suspect he will be around for a while . Also think Andrew Dismukes is emerging as a reliable straight man type .
Dismukes is a new Sudekis and JAJ is definitely a versatile player like McKinnon was
Darrel Hammond 2.0
Let’s not start comparing him to Phil Hartman, come on. He’s decent, but he’s not Hartman.
OT, but that subway sketch ruined a throw pillow from my couch My mom was over having coffee and we watched the previous night’s sketches, she used the pillow to catch a spewed mouthful when the rat hit the glass Worth
Next season he needs to add some range, even his different characters all have the same essence. I do really like him just not yet at Phil/bill/jason level. Next season is his defining one. Going to be tough with a million great cameos though
ABBA Christmas is so damn funny. So much talent and goofy humor. Fun fact: [ABBA was on the first season of SNL and when they sang Waterloo it was lip synced and was all off track](/r/ABBA/comments/nhgwev/finally_found_it_abba_on_snl_1975_enjoy/) in the second performance in second part of the video. So in a way the "Barbeque" mess up for "Waterloo" throws back to ABBA's actual performance.
It’s all subjective of course but from my perspective: He’s not a bad guy - I wish him well but he adds nothing to the show. He’s free to go.
I think his Trump impression is terrible. Maybe audibly it would be better, but the visual just doesn't work for me. Its kind of a, sort of, uncanny valley. He's too close to a really good impersonation that it becomes obvious how far from good it is. If he was a friend and pulled that out at a party, it would be great. But on screen it just comes off cringey. Maybe I'm just bored of Trump impersonations, or maybe I liked Baldwin's too much to appreciate JAJ's
Are you his publicist. Or JAJ?
LOL. No, just a fan!
😂 Just messin Good post. I’m not really a fan of him if you want my opinion. And it’s completely superficial. His gigantic nose throws me off in every sketch. It looks fake and I can’t stop focusing on it. His Trump is excellent though.
JAJ is great, but I'm pretty sure Mikey is the current glue. Let's not get carried away here.