John Goodman, who turns 63 today, has hosted Saturday Night Live 13 times (and made several special appearances). He even auditioned to join the cast in 1980. Basically, Goodman is an unofficial SNL cast member and he’s given us some great bits over the years — more than a lot of official cast members. To celebrate Goodman’s birthday, we pulled five sketches that show off his best work on the show. So, enjoy.
His Spot-on Wilford Brimley Impression
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In this sketch, Goodman perfectly skewers Wilford Brimley and his “diabeetus” commercials. As the sketch goes on, Brimley’s boasts about healthy living come undone as he reveals his BBQ van/food boner shame. He also admits that he can’t stand oatmeal because it “always seems like someone else chewed it first.” I mean….is he wrong?
At least he didn’t talk sh*t about Cocoon. I don’t know that I could take that.
“Picking On” Linda Tripp
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With the Monica Lewinsky scandal dominating the news in the late ’90s, SNL had to bring in someone to play Linda Tripp, the informant who brought the affair to light. If we’re being honest, this isn’t that much of an impression; Goodman just put on a wig and a dress, while talking with a vaguely feminine variation on his normal voice. And he seems to give up on that about halfway through the sketch. That doesn’t make it any less hilarious, though, particularly when we watch him cram whipped cream and KFC down his throat while trying to get Lewinsky to reveal information about her affair with the President.
Interestingly, Goodman expressed regret about the impression in Live From New York, the SNL oral history book, saying that it felt like they were, “kind of beating a dead horse” after awhile and that he felt like he was, “picking on her.”
Bill Brasky
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Bill Brasky was the best damn salesman in the office, and the stories about him always seemed to get a bit more absurd as these sketches piled up. Here, Goodman joins three other drunk friends who reminisce on the man who will “eat a homeless person if you dare him,” while also telling to the story of when Brasky stuck a trumpet inside him during surgery. To Bill Brasky!
John Goodman’s Skinny Jeans
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John Goodman and skinny jeans mix about as well as you’d think they would in this sketch, which mocks H&M for having clothes that are both very cheap and extremely small. While Jay Pharoah’s rapping is the main focal point, the sight of Goodman struggling in vain to put on his tiny pair of H&M jeans is too much (how is this a large?), and really drives home the point of the sketch.
Goodman Joins Bill Swerski’s Super Fans
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When Michael Jordan came back to the NBA in March 1995, it seemed natural for SNL to bring back the Super Fans, and have them once again sing the praises of Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa Bulls. There was just one problem: Mike Myers, who played Pat Arnold, had left the show two months earlier. So, the considerably heavier Goodman stepped in. The character’s massive weight gain is noticed and is explained as a result of eating too many cheese fries in the wake of Jordan’s retirement. We don’t want to know what Pat went through when Jordan came back again to play for the Wizards.
