Today in TV History: Hillary Clinton, Inspiration for Countless Impersonations, Was Born

Of all the great things about television, the greatest is that it’s on every single day. TV history is being made, day in and day out, in ways big and small. In an effort to better appreciate this history, we’re taking a look back, every day, at one particular TV milestone. 

IMPORTANT DATE IN TV HISTORY: October 26, 1947

WHY IT’S IMPORTANT: In a couple weeks’ time, Hillary Clinton may well be our new President(-elect) of the United States. But that’s not what interests me on this, her 69th birthday. For the purposes of television, Hillary has certainly offered some doozies on the news front. Starting with that “vast right-wing conspiracy” about which she vocalized on the Today show. But the real contribution that her political longevity has brought to TV has been the sheer volume of Hillary impersonations that have passed through Saturday Night Live. Starting with Jan Hooks and her icewater-with-a-side-of-lockjaw co-president take on Hillary, each iteration of the SNL cast has offered up a Hillary for our approval.

After Hooks left the show, the next most prominent Hillary was Ana Gasteyer’s. Hers gave way to the Senator Clinton played by Amy Poehler around the 2008 campaign. Poehler’s Hillary was the one who posted up next to Tina Fey’s Sarah Palin in that most memorable of sketches. People forget how much Poehler owned the back half of that sketch.

And now, of course, Kate McKinnon may well be the first SNL impressionist to follow Hillary into the Oval Office.

Here’s what else is interesting, though: five other women have played Hillary over the years. Indeed who can forget Janeane Garofalo’s memorable turn as Hillary in 1994?

Over the years, we’ve had Vanessa Bayer, Rachel Dratch, Drew Barrymore, and Miley Cyrus play Hillary, all with varying degrees of accuracy and authenticity. Maybe the best Hillary so far has been Val the bartender?

Let your voice be heard! Best Hillary?