Cecily Strong mocked Melissa Carone's viral testimony on 'SNL,' and fans say the impression merits an Emmy

Claudia Willen

Dec 6, 2020, 12:19 IST

Cecily Strong mocked Melissa Carone's viral testimony on 'SNL,' and fans say the impression merits an Emmy

"SNL" cast member Cecily Strong mimicked Melissa Carone.JEFF KOWALSKY / Getty Images; NBC

NBC's "Saturday Night Live" parodied the recent election hearing in Michigan in this week's cold open.
Cecily Strong impersonated Melissa Carone, an IT contractor for Dominion Voting Systems whose testimony has gone viral.
After watching Strong's performance, fans applauded her and said it should earn the comedian her first Emmy.

NBC's "Saturday Night Live" recreated the recent election hearing in Michigan for this week's cold open, and Cecily Strong's impersonation of Melissa Carone, the Trump campaign's "star witness," stole the show.

Kate McKinnon opened the sketch, reprising her role as President Donald Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani. She introduced witnesses that are "highly intelligent, barely intoxicated individuals," and like the former mayor of New York City did during the real hearing, McKinnon's Giuliani audibly farted.

Strong then entered the scene to impersonate Carone's viral testimony, during which the Dominion Voting Systems IT contractor made a series of baseless claims about election fraud.

During the cold open, Strong mirrored Carone by wearing a blonde updo, glasses, a plaid scarf, and a black blazer.

"I swear to tell my whole story and nothing but my story, so help me gob," Strong's Carone said, slurring her words.

Mikey Day, who played the Republican representative, then asked her to explain what she witnessed at the polls.

"Excuse me, maybe try and lose the attitude first, just like you lost all those Trump ballots," Strong's Carone snapped back, later adding, "I personally saw hundreds, if not thousands, of dead people vote."

She claimed that the deceased "gave their votes to Democrats" and said the lawmakers "did something crazy with them."

Strong's Carone left the stage soon thereafter, stating that she needed "another drink."

Heidi Gardner also appeared in the cold open, playing a witness that claimed to have eaten ballots. Chloe Fineman then delivered a testimony as Nicole Kidman's character on HBO's "The Undoing."

And cast members Kyle Mooney and Pete Davidson closed out the sketch as two men who were plotting to kidnap Michigan's governor.

—Saturday Night Live - SNL (@nbcsnl) December 6, 2020

After watching the opening sketch, "SNL" fans rushed to applaud Strong's uncanny potrayal of Carone.

Some were so impressed by her work in the cold open that they said it should earn Strong, who was previously nominated for outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series at the 2020 Emmy Awards, her first win.