Barbra Streisand may have had some thoughts about Laraine Newman’s impression of her — but the Saturday Night Live alum never got to hear them.
During a recent appearance on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, several SNL veterans reflected on how celebrities reacted to their impressionists on the show. After Cohen asked, “Have you ever been confronted by a celebrity who you impersonated on SNL?” Newman confirmed, “Barbra Streisand.”
The Coneheads actress, who was part of the SNL cast from 1975 to 1980, played Streisand in a sketch mocking her ego and exorbitant salary. “[SNL writer] Marilyn Miller wrote this incredible song called ‘Me,’ and the lyrics are great: ‘Even if one of my films sucks, it still makes 4 million bucks for me,'” Newman recalled. “And she hadn’t seen it. I was at my friend’s son’s bar mitzvah, and she was singing at it. And she says, ‘I wanna talk to you.'”
Newman didn’t stick around long enough to actually talk to the Funny Girl actress, though. “I left,” she said. “I didn’t wanna talk to her.”
Other SNL alums also heard feedback from celebrities they impersonated on the show. Cheri Oteri said Judge Judy wasn’t thrilled with her portrayal: “She called my manager — ‘Tell Cheri, your client, she’s almost got me.'”
Later, Cecily Strong said that Judge Jeanine Pirro tried to get in touch with her. “Pirro wanted to get lunch a couple of times,” she said. “I was busy.”
Ana Gasteyer remembered three of her celebrity targets being appreciative of their depictions. “Martha Stewart and Celine [Dion] were both super-gracious,” she said. “Jo Anne Worley left a message on my NBC voicemail. It was the greatest: ‘This is Jo Anne Worley. I just loved the show.'”
Rachel Dratch recalled a similar experience. “I just did Calista Flockhart, like way back in the day,” she said. “And then she hosted, so we got to do side-by-side.”
Charles Sykes/Bravo via Getty
Elsewhere in the episode, Newman discussed her reaction to the recent SNL biopic Saturday Night, which she emphasized was “fictional,” but enjoyable nonetheless. “I thought it was really entertaining, and I loved it, and I cried at the end,” she said.
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Newman also confirmed that she felt closest to the late Gilda Radner out of all her peers from the original SNL cast, which also included Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Chevy Chase, Jane Curtin, Garrett Morris, and Michael O’Donoghue. “I just wish she could be here for all of this, really,” she said of the show’s 50th anniversary festivities. “It would just make it a whole different experience.”
The comedian said that she appreciates the kinship she feels with subsequent SNL cast members. “I just totally feel inspired,” Newman said. “I love the talent throughout all of the years, and I get to meet them and sometimes do some things with them. That sounded bad. But yeah, I love the camaraderie of the cast all through the years.”
Watch Newman’s anecdote about Streisand in the clip above.