Melissa McCarthy explained on a recent visit to “Ellen” how she was offered the role of Sean Spicer on “Saturday Night Live.”
The episode, which will air on Friday, shows host Ellen DeGeneres talking with both McCarthy and her husband Ben Falcone. Considering how much a certain impression has been in the news — and on Spicer’s mind — lately, it had to come up.
McCarthy told DeGeneres that Kent Sublette, one of the head writers on “SNL” and an old friend of the couple from their time at the Groundlings, called her up because she was in New York shooting something.
“I hear you’re in New York… would you have an interest in coming in and doing Spicer for us?” McCarthy recalled.
At first she was dubious, but then the physical likeness became apparent.
“I feel like my dad and Sean Spicer had a baby and it’s me,” she said as DeGeneres put up a side-by-side comparison of McCarthy as Spicer and Spicer himself.
She then talked a bit about the makeup process and getting into character. “You mess with your ears and it really changes the shape of your head,” she said. “I got into it, because I was like ‘can I have eye bags?’ and the answer was ‘yes.’”
As to whether McCarthy’s impersonation has had any effect at home, DeGeneres had to know. When asked if he found anything about McCarthy’s performance sexy, Falcone responded “I guess I’m into Sean Spicer now.”
McCarthy and Falcone were on “Ellen” to promote their new show “Nobodies,” which premieres March 29 on TV Land.
Watch the full clip above.