Jimmy Fallon is looking back at how one of his impressions saved an episode of Saturday Night Live.
During Monday’s episode of The Kelly Clarkson Show, Fallon revealed that he once stepped in as the voice of SNL’s title sequence after the sketch comedy show’s longtime announcer, the late Don Pardo, called out sick one evening.
“He was sick one night and Lorne [Michaels] said, ‘Jimmy, can you do Don Pardo?’” Fallon, who starred on SNL from 1998 to 2004, recalled. “And I was like, ‘I think I can. I mean, I’ll try?’”
Dana Edelson/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty
Kenan Thompson and Jimmy Fallon on ‘Saturday Night Live’
Host Kelly Clarkson then interrupted to ask Fallon if he really did “fake America out” with his impression. “I did,” he replied. “And I totally forgot about this. Your producers reminded [me]. I totally faked.”
Fallon then showcased his (honestly, not bad) impression of Pardo’s signature delivery. “I did the, ‘It’s Saturday night!’” He said, warbling his voice. “And I was doing, ‘With Cheri Oteri, Jimmy Fallon… Kelly Clarkson!’”
Clarkson rightfully pointed out that it was Fallon’s use of vibrato that made him sound strikingly similar to the announcer, who died at 96 in 2014. So similar, in fact, that apparently none of the show’s viewers even clocked that it wasn’t Pardo at all.
“I was doing it live, my impression as Don Pardo — I was better at the time — but no one figured it out,” Fallon added. “We pulled it off.”
To which a surprised Clarkson replied, “That’s incredible.”
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Pardo served as the voice of Saturday Night Live for 38 seasons, kicking off each broadcast by listing off the names of the show’s current cast members from its 1975 debut all the way until his death in 2014. His role was later taken over by SNL alum Darrell Hammond.
Across his 70-year career at NBC, Pardo also served as the announcer for programs like The Price is Right, Jeopardy, Winning Streak, and Jackpot.
Watch Fallon deliver his Pardo impression in the clip above.
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