I feel like for those who get impersonated on Saturday Night Live, whether it’s a president, celebrity or public figure, that’s when they know they’ve really reached a major level of stardom. For Barbara Walters that happened in 1976, however, she didn’t appreciate the impersonation for a long time. Barbara Walters, or Baba Wawa as she was referred to on Saturday Night Live, was one of Gilda Radner’s iconic characters from the early years of the sketch comedy show. While the late journalist didn’t appreciate the impression at first, she eventually came around to it, and the reason is both funny and heartwarming.
Following the news of Walters' death the world, especially the television industry, has been reflecting on her trailblazing career and how she helped many women in journalism. Along with this, her thoughts on Gilda Radner’s impression of her have also resurfaced. The Archive of American Television posted an old interview of Walters reflecting on the famous impersonation, and the journalist said:
I hated the Gilda Radner Baba Wawa until I walked into my daughter’s room one night and she was up watching it, it was a Saturday night. I said ‘What are you doing up?’ and she said ‘I’m watching Baba Wawa, Mom.’ And I said ‘Well, oh well, look what she’s doing.’ And my daughter said ‘Oh mommy, lighten up.’ And then I did.
It’s understandable why Walters didn’t like Radner’s impression at first. The comedian gave the journalist a speech impediment where the letter “R” gets replaced with a “W,” however, Radner also made sure to highlight the journalist’s ability to confidently ask questions.
You can check out Radner’s iconic impersonation of Barbara Walters in this sketch where she interviewed John Belushi, who was impersonating Henry Kissinger, during the second season of SNL.
I love that Walters eventually came around to Radner’s impression. In most cases, I feel like being impersonated on Saturday Night Live would be an honor, especially when the performance comes from a comedian who was in one of the best casts in SNL history.
While I totally understand why Walters would be a bit off put by Radner’s impression, I think said impersonation only goes to show just how important the interviewer was to the zeitgeist.
Walters isn’t the only big celebrity to respond to SNL cast members impersonating them. For example, Jennifer Lopez had a specific criticism for Melissa Villaseñor, making sure the comedian knew her favorite color was green, rather than picking apart her impression. Villaseñor also noted that she is a massive fan of JLo, so her impersonation was not mean-spirited, but rather a labor of love.
I think it’s safe to say that most of the time when someone is impersonated on SNL it’s more of an honor than something to be embarrassed about. I’m happy Walters was able to “lighten up” about Radner’s impersonation because it’s become such an iconic moment in Saturday Night Live’s history.
While we’ve sadly lost both Radner and Walters, there are lots of talented comedians on SNL doing impressions of many people who are making waves today. You’ll be able to watch new episodes of the comedy sketch show soon on NBC or with a Peacock subscription when it comes back on the 2023 TV schedule later this month.
