From replicating voices from Austin Powers and Inglourious Basterds to amassing more than two million social media followers, Chicago-born comedian Matt Friend certainly knows how to make an impression. His arsenal of more than 250 celebrity impressions has led to career milestones like riffing at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in 2024; red carpet moments with stars like Jennifer Coolidge, Jamie Foxx and Jeff Goldblum; and roasting Fox News hosts on-air. The 27-year-old is poised to take his next big step with the debut of his first full stand-up hour at the Palazzo Theatre on March 21.
You’ve had a relatively quick rise in just a few years. What’s that been like?
I do not feel like I’ve made it—yet. I’m aware of how much I’ve done, and I’m very grateful for all these opportunities, but I’m very hungry for more. The closest I’ve felt to making it was performing at the Correspondents’ Dinner. That was a pretty insane moment. I mean, I think you have to have perspective as you’re going along. But as you’re doing it, you just kind of think about the next thing.
What are some of your current favorite impressions? Any notable recent additions?
In terms of favorite impressions I do, [shifts into Donald Trump voice] “Well, look, obviously, this is the biggest one, because, well, I would say your favorite president is going to suck up oxygen like you wouldn’t believe—like you wouldn’t believe.” I think [Timothée] Chalamet is having a big resurgence, so that’s been a fun one to bring back. And JD Vance and Gavin Newsom are potential 2028 people I’m looking towards. In the show, it’s also [Jeff] Goldblum, Howard Stern, f**king tennis players, business leaders like Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple. You’ll see it all there.
You don’t do too many prop-based impressions, but your Mitch McConnell glasses really sell the character. Has that always been a part of your take on him?
I basically haven’t left my house without those glasses in like eight years. [Starts McConnell impression] “You stay right there. Don’t move.” [Briefly leaves the room and returns wearing them.] “This is actually a backup pair. I have like five of these. But these literally always come with me.”
Have you ever “retired” any voices?
Not explicitly. I was doing Armie Hammer more, but, you know, he got canceled. Another is Kevin Spacey. I guess you could say that was retired, [enters Frank Underwood impression] “because, well, I canceled myself out.”
When you perform for conservative audiences like on Fox and Friends, you seem to be able to toe a line where you’ll roast them mercilessly, but then you’ll reel them back and disarm them a bit with a Biden impression. Explain your approach to political material?
I’m putting myself in challenging, different situations. Politics is just sucking up so much of our oxygen right now in our culture. Even at the Grammys, there are singers and people talking about their views. I do love the country’s history of political satire, whether it’s SNL or The Daily Show. But I also love the Johnny Carson or Letterman approach—make as many people laugh as possible. It’s not just politics in the show, but it is part of what people are talking about, and I think it’s my job to make fun of as much as I can.
How will the show blend these impressions with stand-up?
It infuses a lot of impressions in the context of stories. A typical impressionist might be like, this is Robert De Niro eating a hot dog, but that’s not what I’m doing. Guys like Robin Williams and Eddie Murphy are sort of the blueprint, where they could weave into stuff through their own stories or observations. You don’t feel exhausted when the show’s over, but you’re like, I just witnessed something. That’s what I want people to experience.
What else can the audience expect?
My goal is just to make you kind of pee your pants laughing—that feeling when you were in class at 13 years old and you weren’t supposed to be laughing but couldn’t control it. That’s the vibe I want. It’s stuff on dating in my 20s and being Gen Z, what I think the world is going to look like with my generation at the helm and imagining us in war. It’s observations on our current political climate and reflections on meeting all these icons of our culture. Through all of that, it’s also a discovery of who I am and what I’m about. It’s going to be a party, and I’m just excited for people to see me in the context of an hour-long show, as opposed to a 30-second clip online.
MATT FRIEND March 21, 10 p.m., $55-$178. Palazzo Theatre, venetianlasvegas.com.
