Nothing—not even death—was going to keep Cheri Oteri‘s Barbara Walters from dropping in on Andy Cohen and Anderson Cooper’s coverage of the first-ever Times Square summer ball drop.
The SNL alum revived her Walters impression Friday night during CNN’s Independence Eve Live With Anderson and Andy: Celebrating 250, checking in from “heaven” to offer her thoughts on the media, Bravo, aliens, AI, and other earthly concerns.
Oteri’s Walters explained that she had found a way to join the broadcast thanks to “Thug’s Life Tupac Shakur,” then launched into a breathless dispatch from the afterlife, dishing on the heavenly A-list—from George Carlin and Richard Pryor to Nipsey Hussle, Nancy Reagan, Joan Rivers, Bob Marley, Amelia Earhart, Mr. Rogers, and Albert Einstein.
Naturally, with Andy Cohen on hand, she also had a Bravo joke ready.
“I almost materialized into the traditional American apple pie White House cage match,” Oteri’s Walters said. “But I said, ‘If I wanted to watch two bitches fighting, I would tune into your Bravo, Andrew.’”
Friday’s appearance marked Oteri’s first time playing Walters on CNN since the real Barbara Walters died on Dec. 30, 2022. Oteri had been scheduled to do the impression on CNN’s New Year’s Eve broadcast the following night, but instead reworked the segment into a sincere tribute to the legendary journalist.
This time, the character was back in full oddball form, as Cooper—whose helpless laughing fits helped turn Oteri’s earlier CNN Walters appearances into a holiday highlight—again struggled to keep it together.
Oteri, who played Walters 22 times during her five-season run on Saturday Night Live, first brought the impression to CNN on New Year’s Eve 2019, when, in a nod to her famous 20/20 catchphrase, she declared, “I can finally say with confidence, this is 2020.”
Watch Oteri’s new CNN appearance as Walters at the top of this post.
