Are you good at impressions?
Though we’ve probably all tried them when we were young, very few of us can bring a crowd to tears just by imitating other people. There’s something truly special about someone who can capture someone else’s mannerisms perfectly. Maybe that’s why this audition from Season 6 of America’s Got Talent became such a hit online.
As soon as she steps out, nobody knows what to expect from contestant Melissa Villaseñor.
After introducing herself, she spends a little bit of time chatting with the judges. “What do you do for a living?” Sharon Osbourne asks her. “Well, I work at a retail store,” she says with a shrug. After some more questions, Villaseñor tells the crowd her real dream: “I want to be a comedian, an impressionist.”
Once the applause dies down, Villaseñor sets into her routine—and the audience is stunned.
Up first is Barbara Walters, to which the crowd gasps in recognition. Not far behind that impression is one of Natalie Portman, then of Miley Cyrus and Kathy Griffin. With each new impersonation, the crowd loses its mind.
To top it all off, Villaseñor breaks out an impression of Christina Aguilera singing The Star Spangled Banner—turns out she can sing, too!
After that, the entire crowd gives Villaseñor a standing ovation.
Although the comedian did fairly well on the show, she was eventually eliminated in week four—but her story didn’t end there. After being dropped from the show, Villaseñor was able to get an audition in front of Lorne Michaels for Saturday Night Live. Although the opportunity was a great one, the staff decided not to hire her.
She reflected on the rejection from SNL in a thoughtful Facebook post.
Fortunately, the story has a happy ending—though it took another seven years to get there.
Welcome to the cast @mikeyfuntime, Alex Moffat and Melissa Villaseñor!
— Saturday Night Live (@nbcsnl) September 12, 2016
After years of waiting, Villaseñor was finally brought onto the staff of SNL. As it should go without saying, the job was the fulfillment of a lifelong dream.
She tweeted about it and was understandably beyond words:
Everybody!! Oh boy!! I cried and am so, so grateful. Will do my best to bring tons of giggles and joy! Love you❤️
— Melissa Villaseñor (@melissavcomedy) September 14, 2016
Still, her acceptance onto the show shouldn’t come as a surprise to anybody who read the note she wrote after her first audition:
SNL is one of the main reasons why I started comedy at 15 and I pray to be there someday when I am ready and have even more to offer. I am very thankful for that experience and will always keep working at new impressions as well as my stand-up comedy.
As a footnote, people are taking notice of Villaseñor on the show, even if you might not recognize her:
Dear @melissavcomedy, I really hope that they start using you more on @nbcsnl. You are a huge talent and they are missing the boat with you!
— Jeff Peck (@LLDramaTeacher) May 29, 2017
dear lorne michaels: kindly make melissa villaseñor a permanent cast member on SNL. thank you!
— ryan sutton (@qualityrye) June 13, 2017
Let the record show that we second those opinions. As it turns out, her hard work and prayers have been answered.
You go, Melissa!
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