Alec Baldwin reveals pay and other details of his 'SNL' Donald Trump gig

Alex Stedman

To say that Alec Baldwin's impression of President-elect Donald Trump on "Saturday Night Live" has made waves would be an understatement. It's even provoked Trump himself to make several attacks on Baldwin via Twitter.

But Baldwin might not make as much per appearance as one might think. In fact, he revealed in a new interview with the New York Times that he makes just $1,400 per appearance. He also added that he does not write the sketches.

And despite the opportunity for Baldwin, an open liberal, to rip into Trump, his appearances may not continue to be as frequent as they have been. He told the Times that, with two movie roles coming up, his stops on "SNL" will be intermittent.

See photos of Alec Baldwin portraying Donald Trump on "SNL":
​​​​​

Trump and Baldwin have been feuding for the past few weeks, especially in the heat of the election. Earlier this month, after Trump said Baldwin's impression "just can't get any worse," Baldwin responded that he'd stop his impersonation... as soon as Trump releases his tax returns. And in October, before Trump won the presidency, Trump accused "SNL" of a "hit job," and decried, "media rigging election!" (It's worth noting that "SNL" had an arguably just-as-popular impression of Hillary Clinton with Kate McKinnon, which got plenty of play ahead of the election.)

Baldwin recognizes the responsibility he holds in the role, and acknowledged a perhaps unintended consequence: humanizing Trump.

"I do recognize that that is a possibility," Baldwin said. "But I think that now that he is the president, we have an obligation — as we would if it was him or her — to dial it up as much as we can."

Nevertheless, Baldwin said he thinks Trump's reaction to his performance is "funny," and commented," "Whoever it is, wouldn't it be great to be the person who pulls the sword out of the stone? Who gets rid of this guy? Wouldn't that be thrilling?"

"SNL" is on hiatus following its holiday-themed episode last weekend and returns Jan. 14.


Advertisement