The Dirty Little Secrets Behind ‘SNL’s’ Tucker Carlson Impression

This should be a golden age for “Saturday Night Live.”

The counter-culture show cut its teeth mocking the latest headlines, and the news cycle has never been more farcical. Yet today’s “SNL” is like a clean comic forced to open for a DNC fundraiser.

No evidence is better than the show’s recurring Tucker Carlson impression. The former Fox News superstar has gone rogue since the right-leaning network dismissed him in 2023.

First, he continued his monologues on Elon Musk’s X, often covering topics the legacy media ignored. Slowly, then all at once, the 57-year-old found his inner Alex Jones, but worse.

Conspiracies. Anti-American ravings. Nazi reassessment. One recurring theme? Israel. Carlson’s antisemitism caught many by surprise, reflecting an ominous trend across Western societies.

In ways, he’s helped lead the despicable charge. His seething hatred for all things associated with the Jewish nation also puts him in line with too many Democrats. Social media users burn endless calories counting up all the times he mentions Israel. Spoiler alert: It’s a lot.

So why can’t “SNL” lay a satirical glove on him?

The show has more than enough material to run a dozen Carlson sketches. Maybe more. It’s a rare chance for “SNL” to reach across the aisle, since Carlson now attacks GOP targets, from President Donald Trump to Michigan Senatorial hopeful Mike Rogers, as much as Democrats.

So where’s the real Tucker Carlson, or just a reasonable facsimile? We’re still waiting after three serious swings and misses on the NBC showcase.

Show regular Jeremy Culhane introduced his Carlson impression earlier this year, featuring the bit on the “Weekend Update” segment. Something felt immediately off.

Sure, Culhane nailed Carlson’s odd chuckle and cadence, but this wasn’t the pundit who was suddenly cozying up to Russia, defending Sharia Law and casting doubt on basic World War II history.

He was a cartoonish conservative figure, a stick in the mud who saw evil liberals lurking around every corner.

Here’s part of Culhane’s March 2026 impression. The subject? The Oscar-nominated films of the year, including “Sinners”:

Because of course, leftist woke America’s favorite movie this year is about sinning. Huh? Really? Why does that not surprise me? Sorry, kids. We don’t go to church anymore. We go to “Sinners.” That’s the rule. That’s the goal now.

Carlson isn’t known for his film reviews, and that generic conservative blather no longer connects with the new, not-remotely-improved Carlson. It’s like imitating Ronald McDonald by wearing a three-piece suit and slicking your hair back, Gordon Gekko style.

It doesn’t make sense.

Later, Culhane’s Carlson deployed a weird anti-gay argument against another Oscar nominee – “Hamnet.”

We’re not allowed to say Hamlet anymore … They took the “L” and gave it to the LGBTQ.

The jokes could have come from just about any cartoonishly conservative pundit. So why put those yuks in Carlson’s mouth?

It’s not as if a killer Carlson impression doesn’t exist. Several Internet-based comics have taken up the challenge with often hilarious results. The best may be Ami Kozak’s recurring impression, complete with a bad wig but real insights into his stunning devolution.

He frequently nails how often Carlson contradicts his own nutty wisdom.

Yet Culhane returned in May to mock Carlson anew, ignoring the stiff competition for the gig. Once again, the impression appeared spot-on but didn’t capture who Tucker Carlson had become. The third appearance as Carlson came just days ago.

The sketch looked past all of Carlson 2.0’s wicked ways and presented him as a cranky conservative. Culhane’s Carlson went back to the movies, depicting a de facto conservative attacking gay culture via his take on “The Odyssey.”

 The Hollywood cabal shoots its filth with millimeters — or as I like to call it, the gay inch … I like “The Odyssey.” It’s so nice to see Greek people do something other than make women feel uncomfortable.

This time, the show briefly admitted that Carlson had turned on President Trump. That was the only moment of honesty.

Still, we saw nothing about his incessant antisemitism, attacks on Israel or suggestions that the wrong guys won World War II.

But why?

It could be as simple as a collective detachment from today’s conservative movement. Maybe their image of Carlson is stuck in the year 2021? That makes sense, since the show’s writers lean aggressively Left. Need proof? “SNL” spent four years ignoring President Joe Biden’s obvious mental decline.

They see Tucker as a conservative boob, the symbol of a group they abhor. So they put dumb, hateful rhetoric in his mouth to attack the greater right-leaning movement.

The more ominous reason may be the most likely. They won’t update their Carlson parody because they agree with this version of him. Antisemitism is raging on the Left, be it the party’s support of leaders like Zohran Mamdani or the endless liberal college students chanting, “from the river to the sea…” on campuses nationwide.

It doesn’t take much imagination to see the real Carlson standing shoulder-to-shoulder with those students given his recent monologues.

“SNL” has viciously targeted President Trump for the past decade. The 2026 Tucker Carlson wants the president thrown out of office for threatening to nuke Iran.

Is the enemy of my enemy my friend?

Both theories could be right. Or, the latter makes the most sense.

Either way, this milquetoast Tucker Carlson impersonation proves how far a once mighty satire show has fallen. They finally became the “not ready for prime-time players.”

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Christian Toto is an award-winning journalist, movie critic and editor of HollywoodInToto.com. He previously served as associate editor with Breitbart News’ Big Hollywood. He’s also the host of The Hollywood in Toto Podcast. Follow him at @HollywoodInToto.