Obama Impersonator - A History
The following history of Barack Obama impersonation is presented by Politicos Comedy Brigade, the home of political comedy and the world's best political comedy team. Click here to read the history of Politicos Comedy Brigade. Book the best Barack Obama impersonators in political comedy. If you are interested in booking an Obama impersonator, Politicos Comedy Brigade – The Home of Political Comedy, is your booking agency for Obama impersonators and political comedy acts for corporate events, live entertainment, any private party, or television and film appearances.
Politicos Comedy Brigade features the best Obama impersonators in live political comedy, and although the real Barack Obama is only a bit more than half-way through his Presidency, there is already a rich history when it comes to Obama impersonators.
As it has done with Presidential impersonators in the past, NBC’s Saturday Night Live has transformed its sketch comedians and cast members into memorable Barack Obama impersonators.
The first, Obama impersonator Fred Armison, is viewed as one of the most talented impressionists in the modern history of Saturday Night Live, and and plays a range of characters including Hugo Chavez, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Ben Bernanke, Muammar Gaddafi, Saddam Hussein, Michael Bloomberg, Joy Behar, Gene Simmons, George Lopez, Randy Newman, and Ice-T among many others.
More recently, Saturday Night Live’s featured Barack Obama impersonator is cast member Jay Pharoah, who has performed his Barack Obama impression as a part of his stand-up comedy act for months before adding Barack Obama to his on screen impersonation repertoire, which also includes incredible impressions of Will Smith, Jay-Z, Eddie Murphy, Lil Wayne, Kanye West, and Denzel Washington among many others.
Even off of the big screen, Obama impersonators have attracted a great deal of attention in popular media. Youtube has been a hotbed for viral videos involving Obama impersonators. Comedian and Obama impersonators James Davis achieved almost 10-million Youtube views with his parody of Waka Flocka’s “Hard in Da Paint,” which Davis titled “Baracka Flacka Flames – Head of State,” co-starring Michelle Obama impersonator Jefandi Cato.
Obama impersonator Iman Crosson, known to Youtube viewers as AlphaCat, followed up with a dance parody of Psy’s “Gangnam Style,” called “Obama Style,” which achieved almost 9-million views. Obama impersonator Reggie Brown, a replaced cast member of Politicos Comedy Brigade, made his own version of AlphaCat’s viral video, and has since received about 13-million Youtube views. Politicos Comedy Brigade Obama impersonator Ron Butler has also been a viral success, earning almost 2-million views for his original political comedy music video entitled, “Obama! A Modern U.S. President,” which also appeared on FOX News’ The O’Reilly Factor with Bill O’Reilly. But by far the most successful viral Obama impersonator on Youtube has been Obama impersonator AlphaCat, whose Youtube channel, almost entirely dedicated to his Barack Obama impression and political parodies, has achieved almost 125-million views and nearly a half-million subscribers. His hit Obama impersonation videos have included a spoof of T.I.’s “Whatever You Like” (almost 21-million views), a spoof of Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies” (almost 22-million views), a spoof of T.I.’s “Dead and Gone” (almost 8-million views), a spoof of Jamie Foxx’s “Blame It” (almost 5-million views), a spoof of Drake’s “Best I Ever Had” (almost 6-million views), and his original political satire “President Obama on the Death of Osama bin Laden” (almost 10-million views).
Former MADtv cast member Jordan Peele starred as an Obama impersonator in a series of political comedy sketches on Will Ferrell’s Funny or Die, which achieved such popularity that Jordan Peele and fellow MADtv alumni and Obama impersonator Keegan-Michael Key were able to parlay Peele’s Obama impersonation into their current successful sketch comedy television show on Comedy Central, Key & Peele. Obama impersonator Jordan Peele earned the compliments of Barack Obama himself following a sketch called “Obama’s Anger Translator – Victory,” which President Obama, on NBC’s Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, called “good stuff.” That sketch has achieved almost 3-million Youtube views, which is right in line with some of their other viral sketch videos, including “Obama Loses His S**T” (more than 6-million views).
Another notable television-based Obama impersonator is Christopher B. Duncan, who premiered his Barack Obama impersonation on NBC’s The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Obama impersonator Christopher B. Duncan has since starred as the fictional character President William Johnson in the popular syndicated series The First Family, which some argue is loosely based on the Obama White House.
Several Barack Obama impersonators have also performed live political comedy. One of the first out of the box following Barack Obama’s First Inauguration was Obama impersonator Steve Bridges, who combined a strong Obama voice impression with Hollywood prosthetic makeup. Steve Bridges appeared on NBC’s The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, which followed hundreds of appearances on that show by Bridges as a George Bush impersonator. In fact, Steve Bridges was a successful Obama impersonator in part because he was able to follow-up his own enormous success as the most televised George Bush impersonator. As a George Bush impersonator, Steve Bridges took part in a very memorable White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner in 2006 when Bridges appeared in full makeup alongside the real President Bush and performed an excellent political comedy set. Obama impersonator Steve Bridges tragically died in 2012 at the age of 48, and though he died at a young age, Steve Bridges, through his incredible talent and true professionalism, earned the admiration and respect of everyone in the industry, including all of us at Politicos Comedy Brigade. Steve Bridges is and will continue to be missed.
In live political comedy, Politicos Comedy Brigade – The Home of Political Comedy, has either developed, managed, produced, or presented most of the notable Barack Obama impersonators on the circuit today, and frequently feature Obama impersonators in their live political comedy shows.
The first was Obama impersonator Reggie Brown, who Politicos Comedy Brigade and its parent company, William Gold Entertainment, developed and managed. William Gold Entertainment secured regular appearances for Obama impersonator Reggie Brown on HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher, FOX News’ Huckabee with Governor Mike Huckabee, FOX News’ Stossel with John Stossel, Will Ferrell’s Funny or Die, Youtube’s Barely Political, and ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live. Politicos Comedy Brigade also featured Obama impersonator Reggie Brown in some of its live political comedy shows, including “Politicos: DC Unplugged” alongside Sarah Palin impersonator Patti Lyons and Bill Clinton impersonator Tim Watters, and “An Evening With President Barack Obama”.
During the 2012 Presidential Election, Politicos Comedy Brigade featured Obama impersonator Louis Ortiz, who was best known for appearing on HBO’s Flight of the Choncords, NPR’s Paulytics with Pauly Shore, and on NPR’s This American Life. The involvement of Politicos Comedy Brigade with Obama impersonator Louis Ortiz, and specifically that of Politicos Comedy Brigade Executive Producer Dustin Gold, was captured in the Saving Daylight Productions documentary The Audacity of Louis Ortiz. Politicos Comedy Brigade also featured Obama impersonator Louis Ortiz in some of its live political comedy shows, most notably “Comedy Campaign 2012” and “The Presidential Apprentice”.
Politicos Comedy Brigade currently features Obama impersonator Ron Butler, who was the first Obama impersonator. Ron Butler is celebrated within political comedy because among the Obama impersonators who perform live political comedy, Ron Butler is the only one who can be considered a professionally trained career actor, not just a Barack Obama lookalike and Obama impersonator. Ron Butler’s television credits include, among very many others, ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live, NBC’s Parenthood, CBS’ How I Met Your Mother, Nickelodeon’s True Jackson VP, ABC’s Boston Legal, STARZ’s Torchwood, ABC’s Gray’s Anatomy, CBS’ Three Rivers, Fox’s Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, ABC’s Eli Stone, FOX News’ The ½ Hour News Hour, NBC’s Medium, ABC Family’s Bunheads, NBC’s Crossing Jordan, CBS’ Without A Trace, ABC’s Ugly Betty, The WB’s Related, ABC’s Invasion, and The WB’s Summerland.
Here at Politicos Comedy Brigade, our political comedy booking agents and entertainment producers are experts when it comes to Obama impersonators because Politicos Comedy Brigade has either developed, managed, produced, or presented most of the best Obama impersonators in political comedy. Politicos Comedy Brigade provides its clients with excellent customer service when hiring top Obama impersonators.
Politicos Comedy Brigade’s political comedy booking agents and entertainment producers can provide you with assistance in selecting, booking, and/or producing live political comedy and political satire entertainment featuring the best Obama impersonators, in addition to coordinating all production details for your corporate event entertainment, private party entertainment, birthday party entertainment, wedding entertainment, gala entertainment, anniversary entertainment, after dinner entertainment, television or film project, radio project, or new media project.
When assisting you in booking or hiring any Barack Obama impersonator as entertainment for your corporate event or private party, Politicos Comedy Brigade – the home of political comedy, can also provide you with a complete, no-hassle event entertainment package which includes all of the necessary production for the entertainment portion of your event. With a production team onsite, we can seamlessly take care of everything from the contracting of the event entertainment to coordinating flights, hotel accommodations, ground transportation, production, per diems and rider requirements, all in one flat fee for booking the political comedy act.
Consider Politicos Comedy Brigade, the home of political comedy, your official Barack Obama impersonator booking agency. Contact us to book the best Barack Obama impersonator for your corporate event entertainment, private party entertainment, birthday party entertainment, wedding entertainment, gala entertainment, anniversary entertainment, after dinner entertainment, television or film project, radio project, or new media project.
