I didn’t realize that a Haley Joel Osment renaissance was the bit of good will and good humor I needed this fall, but boy is he delivering! Last week we talked about Haley Joel sharing his fond memories of working with Bruce Willis 25 years ago on The Sixth Sense. Haley Joel also recently appeared as JD Vance in a skit for Jimmy Kimmel Live. My friends, it’s a gem. Looks-wise he fits the bill, but it’s Haley Joel’s commitment to letting all human interactions be prolonged and painfully awkward, that really made the Vance impression spot on. Grab yourself a favorite donut, or just whatever makes sense, and please enjoy:
Haley Joel Osment is getting love on social media this week for his impression of Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) after he parodied the Republican vice presidential nominee’s cringeworthy visit to a donut shop in August.
The actor, in a mock ad that aired during “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” on Tuesday, dismissed critics who labeled him “weird,” “creepy” and “awkward.”
“They want you to think that I can’t order a simple door nut — donut. Shit,” said Osment, who debuted his impression on the show early last month.
Osment proceeded to cut in front of an elderly woman before speaking to a shop employee, using Vance’s “whatever makes sense” line when deciding on what donuts to buy.
“I can get that for you,” said the employee as Osment walked to a display case with donuts inside and proceeded to punch it open, breaking the glass display in the process.
The actor declared that the Democrats claim he doesn’t “know how to talk to people” before awkwardly sitting down next to a Black construction worker at the shop.
“Hello worker, may I sit?” Osment asked.
“Sure,” replied the worker, who watched as Osment dumped a donut into a cup of coffee and spilled it in front of him.
“So, how long you been Black?” asked Vance before stopping the worker to locate the “smell” of a pregnant woman.
Osment was praised for the portrayal, including by Jace Serrano, a screenwriter who shared a clip of the Kimmel parody that went viral.
“Haley Joel Osment should win an Emmy for his portrayal of JD Vance trying to buy a donut,” Serrano wrote.
I second the motion, he should win an Emmy for this! Or, and I mean no disrespect to Bowen Yang, but is it too late to tap Haley Joel for a month on SNL? Because he totally nailed it! The self-conscious, I’m-trying-my-best-to exhibit-natural-human-behavior is excellent character study, but it’s his maintaining that level of serious acting during the slapstick bits as well — like when he punches through the glass to select his donut — that really had me howling. For us it’s a comedy, but what Haley Joel embodied so well is how Vance’s quest to appear normal is a complete and utter tragedy. Thank you Jimmy Kimmel for this brilliant bit of casting! And please let’s see more between now and Election Day… or whenever Vance stops making an ass of himself, whichever runs longer!
Photos are screenshots from YouTube and via Instagram
Yep put him on SNL. I love Bowen but Haley Joel is hilarious.
I feel like the SNL writers secretly like Vance and hate Walz. They spent way less time mocking Vance during the most recent cold open.
I’m not sure I agree. maybe it appeared that way because the whole bit was JD and his faux kindness/compassion/humanity during the debate, which I think Bowen nailed.
OMG this made me laugh OUT LOUD. I thought it was going to be a direct reenactment and then it went way off the rails. SO funny.
Excellent job by Haley Joel Osment! I need more skits like this! How is this race so close? Really? A Career Prosecutor, Attorney General, Vice-president and the best that they have is well she’s a woman, well she laughs weird. How is this race so close? You literally have a dumpster fire in the other candidate, not to mention his ridiculously awkward running mate. Their side has been the lowest common denominator, the basest of dog whistle messages: they’re darker skinned than we are so they don’t matter, immigrants are ruining everything, women can’t be president. Why? Just because they’re women. The toxic patriarchy will come up with any nonsense reason for denying access when they don’t want you in the club. They’re like a bouncer at a night club you’re trying to get into saying we’re full to capacity and you see a whole bunch of other people waltzing in. There’s no reason why the government should be interfering in my reproductive healthcare. There’s no reason why Kamala Harris and Tim Walz won’t win this election. I’m just surprised it’s anywhere near close. It’s so obvious to me. Granted I am biased but even setting my bias aside, watching their entire convention from start to finish, I realized they don’t have the positive energy, they don’t have the willingness to lift up and protect all people. Kamala Harris has the message, the gift, the genuine desire to help us, the momentum, and the drive. with all of our help she is going to take us to a new era of power. She is going to take us to a new era of equality. Kamala Harris is going to open the door for us to Empower us. So let that door to privilege be kicked wide for all of us to enjoy free access to change this world for the betterment of our Sons, Daughters, Nieces, Nephews, Grandbabies, Elders, especially our Veterans, all of us. Go Harris Walz! Go Baby Go! It’s high time we turn the page on the past. Im not going back. We’re not going back!
That was pretty good. But even better was the Kimmel show after the presidential debate. He introduces the bipartisan panel (including Osment’s Vance) at 9:20 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9bqtlWphXA
@Kirk that was great!
@Anna I worry about it. I’m in Texas. The only thing I know to do is to talk to every person I know who is not going to vote for trump, and encourage them to get registered to vote (today is the deadline in Texas! You cannot register online! It’s got to be dropped off or mailed in to the registrar!) and then follow up to make sure everyone doesn’t stay home–that they actually vote. I have given up on trying to change anyone’s mind. At this point, if you’re still voting for trump, I don’t know what I could say. So I’m not wasting my time on trying to convince anyone.
We could have turned this state blue in more than one past election if democrat voters got to the polls. We can do it. We just HAVE TO GO AND VOTE.
Brilliant! I hope Osment wins ALL the awards for this.
Seriously, watching Osment in this sketch has been one of the few genuinely funny rotflmao moments that I’ve been able to enjoy during this truly terrifying, unfortunately nail-biting election cycle.
Absolute perfection. I howled when he cut the line in front of the old lady with the walker. It’s the details. And how he delivered the line “how long have you worked here?”
The running eye liner!
O…m….g….. It’s great to see Osment again! He’s brilliant as JD Vance!!!!!!
he was so good in zoe kravit’s movie blink twice. so many great actors i wasn’t expecting in that movie?
That movie looks interesting! Had no idea Osment was in it!!!
That. Was awesome.
He has great comedic timing and for a sec I though it was Vance – he was soo good.
😂😂😂He is perfect for JD Vance.
He is amazing but I think Bowen does a really good job, too. I laughed out loud at both of them.
And the real Tim Walz will be on with Jimmy Kimmel tomorrow night. Maybe he will be giving Vance lessons on how to interact with humans.
Osment perfectly nails Vance’s skin-suit weird–and his underlying sociopathy. Agreed–he should be Emmy-bound. 🤣
I completely lost it at the “scuse me, ma’am. When do you spawn ?”, the delivery is absolutely perfect.
Loved HJO on What We Do in The Shadows. Glad people appreciate him now.