‘Saturday Night Live’ welcomes a new Joe Biden after Jim Carrey departs

This weekend on “Saturday Night Live,” cast member Alex Moffat stepped into President-elect Joe Biden’s shoes, filling a role vacated by Jim Carrey earlier in the day.

“Though my term was only meant to be 6 weeks, I was thrilled to be elected as your SNL President... comedy’s highest call of duty,” Carrey wrote on Twitter on Saturday. “I would love to go forward knowing that Biden was the victor because I nailed that s—. But I am just one in a long line of proud, fighting SNL Bidens!”

Moffat’s Biden was introduced in a cold open focused on Vice President Mike Pence (Beck Bennett) receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. He emerged halfway through the sketch, doing a Willy Wonka-style somersault after hobbling in on a cane and an orthopedic boot.

“You look different somehow,” Bennett said. “Yep, I’m like Colonel Sanders,” Moffat replied. “Every time you see me, I’m a different guy. There’s a good chance that by this time next year, I’m going to be Mario Lopez. Now where are the vaccines at?”

Before Carrey, Jason Sudeikis, Woody Harrelson and John Mulaney have all portrayed Biden, to varying degrees of success. “SNL” returns Jan. 23, after Biden’s inauguration.

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