Jim Carrey reveals that he won’t return to Saturday Night Live to play Joe Biden

Jim Carrey reveals he’s stepping down from playing Joe Biden on Saturday Night Live: ‘I was thrilled to be elected as your SNL President’

Saturday Night Live will have to find someone new to play President-elect Joe Biden.

Jim Carrey announced Saturday on Twitter that he had reached the end of his ‘term’ playing the former Vice President.

‘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,’ the 58-year-old Sonic The Hedgehog star tweeted.

End of the road: Jim Carrey, 58, announced Saturday on Twitter that he was done playing Joe Biden for Saturday Night Live after multiple weeks on the job; seen in February in LA

‘I would love to go forward knowing that Biden was the victor because I nailed that s**t,’ he added. ‘But I am just one in a long line of proud, fighting SNL Bidens!’

Carrey appeared on Saturday Night Live for six weeks straight, often commandeering the cold open, which is usually devoted to topical politics.

Although former SNL cast member Maya Rudolph has been praised for her impression of Vice President–elect Kamala Harris, Carrey has been lambasted by critics for his version of Biden, in which he mimicked some of his mannerisms but failed to land punch lines.

Carrey (and Biden) were absent from the last two weeks of SNL, leading some to assume the West Coast–based actor was finished with the show.

Carrey’s last line referenced SNL’s difficulty in finding someone to play Biden consistently. 

Limited run: Carrey said he only intended to play Biden for six weeks and celebrated his victory

Limited run: Carrey said he only intended to play Biden for six weeks and celebrated his victory

MIA: Carrey had been absent from the last two SNL episodes, leading some to assume the West Coast-based actor was finished; seen on October 24 on SNL

MIA: Carrey had been absent from the last two SNL episodes, leading some to assume the West Coast-based actor was finished; seen on October 24 on SNL

Mixed bag: Former SNL cast member Maya Rudolph was praised for her impression of Vice President–elect Kamala Harris, but Carrey was lambasted by critics; seen with Rudolph on October 31 on SNL

Mixed bag: Former SNL cast member Maya Rudolph was praised for her impression of Vice President–elect Kamala Harris, but Carrey was lambasted by critics; seen with Rudolph on October 31 on SNL

Woody Harrelson made multiple guest appearances as the next president early on during the presidential campaign in 2019.

Harrelson explained to NME in September that he likely wasn’t invited back to the long-running sketch-comedy series because of his limited availability. 

‘I was approached two or three times but I couldn’t do it so I don’t know, maybe Lorne has moved on which would probably be smart to have people who were definitely going to show up,’ he said.

‘Because I don’t know, I wasn’t always going to be there, but I’d be open to doing it again of course. It’s so fun.’

Too busy: Woody Harrelson made multiple guest appearances as Biden in 2019, but he theorized to NME that he wasn't invited back because of his busy schedule

Too busy: Woody Harrelson made multiple guest appearances as Biden in 2019, but he theorized to NME that he wasn’t invited back because of his busy schedule

Old favorite: Jason Sudeikis played Biden when he was a cast member, and he briefly returned after Harrelson's stint; seen in February

Old favorite: Jason Sudeikis played Biden when he was a cast member, and he briefly returned after Harrelson’s stint; seen in February

Jason Sudeikis, who was SNL’s regular Biden player when he was a cast member, returned to play him following Harrelson’s short stint.

His portrayal had less to do with Biden’s actual mannerisms compared to Carrey’s and emphasized broad comedy, more in line with how SNL portrayed presidents in the 1970s.

Chevy Chase presented Gerald Ford as a klutz and a butterfingers, while Dan Aykroyd didn’t even bother to shave his mustache when he played Jimmy Carter.

Comedian John Mulaney, who used to write for SNL, also returned to play Biden before Carrey took over. 

Biden replacement: It's unclear if SNL will pick one of its main cast members or if it will try to find another celebrity

Biden replacement: It’s unclear if SNL will pick one of its main cast members or if it will try to find another celebrity

It’s unclear who will take over the Biden role now that Carrey is out.

SNL has stuck with high-profile guests to play the president-elect, but that may be difficult to pull off unless they find a celebrity based in New York, like Alec Baldwin, who played President Donald Trump for most of his single term.

The show may also use one of its regular cast members to fill the role after four years of regular guests.