Laura Benanti just added another role to her resume. The Supergirl actress spoofed Melania Trump during the Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Tuesday, July 19, following Trump’s plagiarism controversy. Watch her dead-on impression in the video above!
As previously reported, the former model, 46, was called out this week for seemingly reusing some familiar material while speaking at the Republican National Convention — where her husband, Donald Trump, just officially secured the nomination for president — in Cleveland on Monday. Jarrett Hill, a former reporter for The Now Tampa Bay, pointed out on Twitter that she appeared to have lifted two paragraphs from Michelle Obama‘s 2008 Democratic National Convention speech.
The incident caused an uproar on social media, and the hashtag #FamousMelaniaTrumpQuotes was created. Many teased Melania by joking that she was responsible for some of the most famous quotes in history.
Benanti, 37, kept the gag going on Tuesday. She dressed up as the former model and repeated several well-known lines from TV shows and movies, including The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and The Lion King. The Broadway star even added in a few lines from the Kit Kat jingle “Gimme a Break.”
“My fellow Americans, this is truly the best of times, it is the worst of times. I did not plagiarize my speech last night. I would never do such a thing. I could not, would not with a goat. I would not, could not on a boat. That is because I learned honesty during my humble upbringing in West Philadelphia, born and raised … and on the playground is where I spent most of my days,” Benanti as Melania said during the CBS talk show, quoting Charles Dickens, Dr. Seuss and the Fresh Prince theme song.
“So to those who say I stole my speech, I say gimme a break, gimme a break, break me off a piece of that Kit Kat bar. They may be able to take our lives, but they will never be able to take our freedom. I am mad as hell and I am not going take it anymore,” she continued. “You’ve got to fight for your right to party. Boom goes the dynamite! Hakuna Matata! … I’m lovin’ it. Oh, and one more thing: Live from New York, it’s Saturday night!”
Donald Trump’s campaign team released a statement about the matter on Tuesday. “In writing her beautiful speech, Melania’s team of writers took notes on her life’s inspirations, and in some instances included fragments that reflected her own thinking. Melania’s immigrant experience and love for America shone through in her speech, which made it such a success,” the statement read. Additionally, Donald’s top aide, Paul Manafort, blamed Hillary Clinton for the reaction to the speech.
“This is once again an example of when a woman threatens Hillary Clinton, how she seeks to demean her and take her down,” he told CNN. “It’s not going to work.”
Watch Benanti on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in the video above!
