Chloe Fineman's SNL audition impression of Reese Witherspoon comes full circle on Late Night With Seth Meyers

Chloe Fineman has officially come full circle, and she did it with the same impression that landed her on Saturday Night Live in the first place.

During her recent appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers, the comedian recalled meeting Reese Witherspoon for the very first time, and accidentally slipping into her spot-on impression of the Oscar winner in person.

Fineman told Meyers that the encounter happened just moments before the taping. She said, 

 "I just met her for the first time in the flesh just now, and I can't help but go into—And I'm like, 'Oh my god, you are so cute. Oh my god, no. I mean, I was like, Oprah loves you, seriously.'"

It was the same voice and energy she'd used years earlier when auditioning for SNL — a moment that, unknowingly, would set the tone for her entire run on the NBC series.

Saturday Night Live and the impression that started it all

Back in 2019, when Fineman tried out for Saturday Night Live, it was her take on Witherspoon that helped her get into Studio H8.

She’s heading into her fifth year as a regular cast member, building a spot as one of the program’s go-to mimics - flexible, sharp, always switching gears.

Ever since she joined the show, one after another, characters like JoJo Siwa flowed through her, then came Timothée Chalamet; later, Nicole Kidman appeared in full force. Even Meryl Streep wasn’t left out, stepping vividly into frame.

On SNL, she copied Witherspoon by playing her famous characters like Elle Woods from Legally Blonde and Madeline Mackenzie on Big Little Lies, just to name a few.

The impression gained so much attention that in 2020, Witherspoon herself reached out.

The actress, clearly amused, invited Fineman to moderate a Legally Blonde cast reunion on Zoom — a clear sign she'd taken the impression in good humor.

Fineman has admitted that impersonating celebrities can be nerve-racking. 

"I'll do these impressions and then it's sort of this panic of like, 'Have I humiliated myself?' or like, 'Do they think I'm awful?'" she once said on The Tonight Show. "And then this little blue check thing will appear in your Instagram DMs. And it's the celebrity that you've done an impression of, but you don't know what it's saying. And to me, it's like a letter from the president."

That anxiety makes the Late Night moment all the more satisfying — the woman who once inspired Fineman's career-making impression finally saw it live, and the exchange, by all accounts, was warm.

The Full-Circle Moment

Meeting Witherspoon meant more than fame to Fineman - this moment reflected how far she had come, almost like looking into a glass that showed her journey back at her.

The encounter echoed a longtime habit on the show - performers leaning on spot-on impersonations to capture personalities quickly.

It was humor with an edge, yet somehow warm underneath.

Through the years, these acts mixed copying with honoring so much that Fineman’s version of Witherspoon slides right into that tradition - just another step in the pattern.

In the same Late Night interview, Fineman said she wasn’t aiming to do the voice then, yet it came out easy once she spotted the Morning Show actor behind the scenes.

The suddenness of it reflects what’s always set her apart on SNL - sharp instincts for rhythm, yet also diving headfirst into clumsy, real-life pauses.

That chat with Witherspoon showed just how much Fineman’s path has shifted from those first clips online - ones that grabbed Lorne Michaels’ attention back then.

From small online sketches to SNL mainstay to late-night guest swapping stories with Seth Meyers, her path has been a steady climb through comedy's biggest stages.

Beyond the Impression

Five years past her SNL start, Fineman’s fame keeps growing - fueled by fresh roles and viral sketches.

She recently showed up in Despicable Me 4, along with the new flick Megalopolis - on top of keeping her usual Saturday bit alive, tossing out mimic videos that blow up fast.

She started by mimicking Reese Witherspoon at her tryout - then ended up doing it right in front of her. 

It feels like one of those rare SNL anecdotes that encapsulate the show's spirit: ambition, comedy, and a little bit of chaos colliding in the most human way possible.

Stay tuned for more updates.