Not Ready for Primetime

Yes, Alec Baldwin Will Be Back to Mock Trump on the S.N.L. Premiere

The actor also taught his daughter how to perfect her own pouty presidential impression.

Well, we’re still stuck in a Donald Trump presidency, but at least that means more Alec Baldwin on Saturday Night Live. The actor appeared on Wednesday’s episode of Ellen to promote You Can’t Spell America Without Me, his parody memoir of the president’s first 100 days in office—so of course Ellen DeGeneres asked him the question on all of his fans’ minds: when would he be back on the venerated sketch show? Thankfully, the wait won’t be too long: Baldwin said he’ll strap on his Trump wig and pancake makeup in just a few weeks.

“The season premiere is September 30, and I’m going to do that,” Baldwin told DeGeneres. “I’m going to do a couple of them . . . We’re going to do it until—nevermind.”

Like the actor’s apparent hope for an impeachment, Baldwin’s imminent return to Saturday Night Live is hardly a surprise. Though he has waffled a bit about how long he will keep returning to Studio 8H to play Trump, his turn as the president last season earned him an Emmy nomination for best-supporting actor in a comedy series—one of several nods for S.N.L. this year—and, obviously, the book deal that got him on Ellen in the first place. The role has also, apparently, given the actor one more way to bond with his young daughter; as seen in an adorable video DeGeneres showed her audience, he’s been teaching her the art of the Trump impression. Perhaps he can teach DeGeneres next—because, as the comedian admits, she can’t do a Trump impression to save her life.

Thanks to Baldwin’s busy schedule, he’ll reportedly appear this season less frequently than he did last year. But at least we know that when the show returns this month, Baldwin will be back as well.