Dana Carvey was challenged by ‘SNL’ impersonation of ‘mentally compromised’ Joe Biden

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Dana Carvey is reflecting on his take on former U.S. President Joe Biden on Saturday Night Live, calling it a “real challenge” to play his “obvious” declining cognitive health.

During a recent episode of his Fly on the Wall podcast, the comedian was asked by Modern Family actress Julie Bowen about his impersonation of the 82-year-old and if he had any regrets “now that you know that Biden is severely diminished.”

Carvey responded: “I knew that he was compromised mentally. I mean, it was obvious. But it was a delicate thing in the comedy world.”

He explained: “There were a lot of people who did not want to do anything that would kind of ding him in an awkward way.”

Bowen noted that “it’s comedy,” to which Carvey replied, “That’s the key. If I can do Biden, if I can make Biden funny to everybody, then I am where I want to be. And to make it funny, it had to be recognizable.”

Carvey’s co-host, David Spade, noted: “I think it’s easier to make fun of him if he’s the president” than if it was “a 90-whatever-year-old man and just [going], ‘Look at this a–hole.’”

Spade added: “So once he’s president, then he’s more fair game to say, but no one made fun of him forever.”

Biden has strongly denied reports of his alleged cognitive decline while in office.

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Carvey, who was an SNL cast member from 1986 to 1993, explained that he worked to create a respectful, yet still identifiable impression of the ex-president by adopting several key Biden sayings, like, “I’m not kidding around here” and “I’m being serious.”

He did admit that it took him two years to perfect the impersonation, which eventually became his “favourite.”

“The first six months it was just sweet Joe… it was just that it doesn’t have the pop or energy of Trump, or even Obama, or [George W. Bush],” Carvey recalled.

“And then I heard him whisper and yell, and I thought, ‘Oh, here we go.’”

Carvey added that despite the impersonation being a fine line to walk, he “loved” doing it.

“It was a real challenge to make it acceptable,” he admitted. “And I read comments: ‘Hey man, I hate Trump and whatever, but this is really f—ing funny.’ So that’s the main thing — it was funny.”