Long time Dolly Parton fan and Saturday Night Live cast member Melissa Villaseñor did her inpersonation of her hero on SNL Saturday (12/12).
She was guesting on “Weekend Update,” supposedly to sing her favorite Christmas songs. After being asked by Colin Jost (“Weekend Update” co-host and SNL head writer), “Are you dressed as Dolly Parton? You’ve been trying to get your Dolly impersonation on the show for a while now.”
Melissa responded, “No, I’m just here to sing Christmas song okay?” She then launches into “Holly Jolly Christmas” and pretty much nails Parton’s singing voice!
Villaseñor then sings what she calls “Jingle Bells” to the tune of “Jolene” which prompts Jost to say, “Yeah that’s not how ‘Jingle Bells’ goes, it’s also not really how ‘Jolene’ goes.”
Melissa finally confesses telling the studio audience, “Newsflash, I wanna be Dolly, who doesn’t? She the coolest, she’s a great singer, she writes her own songs, she donated a million dollars to the vaccine. Okay? There was a news story this week that she saved a kid from not getting hit by a car.”
She then says she will be singing her favorite Christmas hymn before launching into a spot on version of “9 to 5.”
While Dolly has yet to comment on the performance on her socials, Melissa went to her instagram and posted three different posts dress as Parton. In one she wrote, “@dollyparton i love you. Early in pandemic i was alone for while at home and i was desperate for someone to bring me comfort and i found dolly’s audiobook “dream more” it made me cry and smile and laugh and believe again.”
Meanwhile in another unrelated Dolly Parton gush, Reese Witherspoon posted to Instagram yesterday (12/13), “Now THIS is the holiday energy we need right now!!!! *plays Dolly’s Holly Dolly Christmas Album all day long*.”