Have you ever stopped to marvel at the wonders human talent can achieve? Take Tom Hanks’ example, whose popularity stems from his roles in major blockbusters like Saving Private Ryan, Forrest Gump, and Saving Private Ryan, making him one of Hollywood’s top actors. But that is not the only thing the 67-year-old is good at; he is also a terrific voice actor and is equally adept at comedy and impersonation.
Since he first joined the five-timers club, he has hosted numerous episodes of Saturday Night Live in addition to making several cameos. In a sketch titled ‘The Stand-Ups’, which Hanks performed during his first Saturday Night Live hosting gig, stand-up comedians conversed backstage while using the same voices they did on stage.
In one of his former interviews, Hanks disclosed that he had given Jerry Seinfeld a call to obtain approval to incorporate one of the latter’s jokes into the sketch.
Remembering the Laughter: Tom Hanks’ Iconic Saturday Night Live Debut
Tom Hanks, who has made multiple appearances on Saturday Night Live, once talked about a skit he performed thither. It was a fascinating sketch called The Stand-Ups, in which he and Jon Lovitz, Dennis Miller, and Dana Carvey portrayed comedians speaking in the same voice behind the camera as they did on stage.
Welcome to the Five-Timers Club, @mulaney! pic.twitter.com/dwPHW9ILvs
— Saturday Night Live – SNL (@nbcsnl) February 27, 2022
The actor revealed that he had to get actor-comedian Jerry Seinfeld’s approval before using the well-known socks joke that Robert Smigel proposed. Hanks related that account during his Fly on the Wall podcast appearance, reminiscing about his time hosting Saturday Night Live.
“Robert Smigel, absolutely genius, he said, ‘Listen, I wrote this thing about comedians who always [say] ‘I mean, come on, I mean, hey, why would they do that?’ He wrote in a joke that was, ‘Hey, what’s the deal with socks?”
The team did, however, encounter a minor problem with the suggested material because of concerns regarding possible copyright infringement. In Hanks’ words:
“Dennis Miller, comedian par excellence says, ‘Hey man, that’s Jerry Seinfeld’s material. You can’t take that from him,’” Hanks said. “He was adamant. ‘You cannot take a comic’s A grade bit and blow it out on TV. He’ll never be able to use it again.’ Smigel was like, ‘Oh, it’s old. He won’t miss it.’ He said, ‘No, man, you can’t do this.’”
Hanks revealed that he spoke with Seinfeld over the phone to obtain his approval to use his joke, saying,
“Hey, you’re famous, I’m famous, so we can talk to each other like we know each other. It was all a lie. I said, ‘Listen, I’m on SNL. We’re doing this thing about comedians. I’m like ‘Hey, what’s the deal with socks?’ But if you’re still doing the sock bit, we’ll come up with some other joke.’”
Although fans of the actor still remember his engrossing sketches on Saturday Night Live, in which he sprung up alongside well-known comedians, Hanks stated that Seinfeld was very kind to let him perform his joke in his sketch, which is still well-received.
Tom Hanks’ Hilarious Jerry Seinfeld Parody: A Fan Favorite in 2024
Even though Tom Hanks already had millions of fans, his respect for them has risen even more after this viral video of him impersonating comedian Jerry Seinfeld went viral. Fans’ reactions to seeing their favorite actor in such a hilarious role are as follows (via X):
That was about as funny as a kick to the crotch
— Above the Best ⚡️🚁🛩️ (@thedooberhead) January 7, 2024
Hanks on the waves, dude. Seinfeld's surf bracelet vibe.
— tara barbie (@TaraThebarbie) January 7, 2024
Did Seinfeld better than Seinfeld himself
— Surya 🎯 (@suryasparrowOF) January 7, 2024
Perfect 😃
— Beasley😶🌫️ (@BislyBrolin) January 7, 2024
I didn't realize Jerry Seinfeld was already well-known enough in 1985 to have people impersonating him on SNL
— Mark Sundstrom (@106th) January 7, 2024
Some people are so talented.
— Chris & Ola (@ChrisandOla) January 7, 2024
This impersonation probably would not have been that arduous for someone who has provided the voices for several beloved cartoon characters, such as Sheriff Woody in the Toy Story film series (1995–2019).
That said, it will take a while for fans who are still getting to know this fabulous side of him to move past this clip. Who knows what other surprises Hanks has up his sleeve? We can’t wait to see what he comes up with next!
