James Austin Johnson

James Austin Johnson is an American comedian and actor originally from Nashville, Tennessee.^[1] He has garnered attention for his impression of former U.S. president Donald Trump, sometimes being referred to as "the best Trump impersonator".^[2] Johnson is currently a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy television series Saturday Night Live, which he joined as a featured player for the show's 47th season in 2021. On SNL, he impersonates both Trump and Joe Biden.

Career

In addition to the films Blue Like Jazz and Hail, Caesar!, Johnson has appeared in the television series Adam Ruins Everything, Better Call Saul, and All Rise.^{[citation needed]} He has also filmed a DirecTV television ad with National Football League veteran Peyton Manning.^[1]

In 2021, Johnson was cast as a featured player on Saturday Night Live, alongside fellow newcomers Aristotle Athari and Sarah Sherman, for its forty-seventh season.^[3][4] During the season premiere's cold open, he portrayed President Joe Biden^[5] and later portrayed former President Donald Trump in the season's fifth episode. Andy Hoglund, who recaps SNL episodes for Entertainment Weekly, said "he is one of the most exciting new cast members in years, a cross between Dana Carvey and Darrell Hammond. He's that kind of talent."^[6]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2011	October Baby	Truman
2012	Blue Like Jazz	Drunk Freshman
2014	Rocket Pack Jack and the Babylon Virus	Krane
2016	Hail, Caesar!	Studio Assistant at Action Western
2022	She Said	Donald Trump	Voice

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2009	Alumni	Jeffry	Television film
	Coffeeteria	Barrett Klausman	Miniseries
2015	Adam Ruins Everything	Farmer Jed	Episode: "Adam Ruins Summer Fun"
2016	The Last Tycoon	Movie Theater Usher	Episode: "Pilot"
2017–2020	Future Man	Young Gabe Futturman	2 episodes
2018	Better Call Saul	Fred Whalen	Episode: "Winner"
2019	All Rise	Adam Connolly	Episode: "How to Succeed in Law Without Really Re-Trying"
2020	Kwaczala	Dennis (Glenn)	Episode: "I am a Lion"
	Robbie	Ninja Turtle	Episode: "Robbie vs. Ava vs. Danielle"
2021	Tuca & Bertie	Kyle (voice)	2 episodes
	Squidbillies	Pharmacy Man (voice)	Episode: "One Man Banned"
2021–present	Saturday Night Live	Various characters	Featured player
2022–present	Fairview	Various characters (voice)	Recurring role
2022	The G Word	Various characters
	Birdgirl	Ed Todd/Kaptain Khaos (voice)	Episode: "With a K"
2023	Barry	Pastor #2 (voice)	Episode: "the wizard"

References

1. Organ, Mike (August 6, 2016). "Peyton Manning 'just like George Clooney,' commercial co-star says". The Tennessean. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
2. Rosen, Christopher (November 18, 2020). "The Best Trump Impersonator of All Would Never Prewrite a Trump Joke". Vanity Fair. from the original on October 23, 2021. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
3. Gomez, Dessi (September 29, 2021). "Here Are This Season's New 'SNL' Cast Members and Where You've Seen Them Before (Video)". TheWrap. from the original on October 2, 2021. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
4. Bucksbaum, Sydney (September 27, 2021). "Meet the 3 new Saturday Night Live cast members joining season 47". Entertainment Weekly. from the original on September 28, 2021. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
5. Hudak, Joseph (October 3, 2021). "'SNL' Debuts New Joe Biden in Cold Open Skewering the Democrats' Bad Summer: James Austin Johnson takes over the role of Biden in a skit co-starring Aidy Bryant as a scene-stealing Joe Manchin". Rolling Stone. New York, NY: Penske Media Corporation. from the original on October 4, 2021. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
6. Hoglund, Andrew (November 6, 2021). "Saturday Night Live recap: Succession star Kieran Culkin hosts with musical guest Ed Sheeran". Entertainment Weekly. from the original on November 8, 2021. Retrieved November 9, 2021.

External links

• jamesaustinjohnson.com
• James Austin Johnson at IMDb