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Monday, May 18, 2026

Jason Sudeikis stars in Visa's 'Tap In' World Cup campaign

May 18, 2026
Jason Sudeikis stars in Visa's 'Tap In' World Cup campaign

Erling Haaland is likely to score a tap in goal in Norway's first appearance in the World Cup since 1998. But Visa wants fans to tap in, too.

USA TODAY

The credit card company continues its longstanding partnership with FIFA and is the official Worldwide Payment Technology Partner of the tournament. They announced the "Tap In" campaign on Monday, May 18 to create a parallel between the tap-in goal, known as the easiest form of scoring, and how fans seamlessly tap their cards to pay for everything they need to enjoy the World Cup.

Jason Sudeikis is the star of a series of ads that shows how speed, security and fun are key elements of the tournament.The "Ted Lasso" actoris shown in various scenarios using his Visa card with his signature positivity and wittiness.

Frank Cooper, Visa's CMO, spoke on how the company was intentional about highlighting the speed of the World Cup and the security of the credit card while not sacrificing storytelling and the human element.

"That is exactly what we saw as our core challenge about a year ago," Cooper told USA TODAY Sports. "We can do something that is highly entertaining and inspirational, and there's a lot of value in that, because reigniting consumer passion around your brand is always a good thing.

"Our goal was a bit different. We did want to communicate the idea of trust and what underlies trust, and because we think that is going to be core. It's always been core to anything that involves money, by the way, but it's certainly increasingly core as you move into new forms of transaction, as fraud increases, as you know people want to make sure that they have zero liability, and so we want to communicate that.

"The question was, our challenge was: communicate that message, but put it in an entertaining wrapper. That was the goal.... A key unlock for us was Jason Sudeikis, and for us, Jason represented not just the character Ted Lasso, but he represented optimism, that anything is possible, that you can fulfill your dreams."

While Visa has its headquarters in Foster City, California outside of San Francisco, executives are careful to present it as a global company just like the World Cup is a global tournament. One of the ads makes this clear in a fun, lighthearted way.

Sudeikis asks to have a hot dog for every country where Visa is accepted (it's more than 200). He starts listing several nations: Australia, Canada, Mexico, Argentina, the United States, Ivory Coast and South Africa. A worker behind the counter hands him a hot dog for each country and the actor is about to keep rattling off countries, but the hot dogs run out.

Even though Cooper emphasizes that Visa is a global brand, he still has hopes that the United States hosting the World Cup will grow the love of the beautiful game in the country where American football is king. He points to the opportunity this tournament has through digital and social media as a potential means of helping Americans get involved in soccer.

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"I think this could be an inflection point because of the excitement around this particular game," he said. "We may not have as many die-hard fans in the U.S., although that's increased a lot. We have more social fans, but in this one we're gonna have FOMO fans. People who feel like, 'I'm missing out on something. It's like a phenomenon descending upon three countries. I gotta be a part of it.' And once you kind of sense, feel the excitement, I think you get drawn into the sport."

Lamine Yamal, Jorge Campos, Andrés Cantor and, of course, Haaland are also involved in the campaign.

The ads are meant to lead to deeper fan engagement. Fans will be able to register online to win prizes throughout the tournament, including tickets to matches andJeff Hamilton jackets, which Cooper calls "beautiful" and "collectors items." When a tap-in goal is scored throughout the tournament, more prizes and features will be unlocked. There will also be collaborations with artists and immersive pop-ups at stadiums during the World Cup.

In 2024, Visa made its first global sports partnership in 15 years when it joined forces with Cash App tobecome a title sponsor of the Racing Bulls Formula 1 team.In February,Visa renewed and expanded the partnership, which also includes support for the Max Verstappen-led Red Bull Racing.

Cooper said that the motorsport series shares similar traits with the World Cup like speed and the pursuit of excellence that make both important partnerships for Visa. The Racing Bulls team is known for having some of the most exciting, thoughtful liveries in the sport, including when theycollaborated with Nigerian-British artist Slawn for the 2025 British Grand Prix.

"Whether they're winning at the moment or not matters less, even though I like winning more than I like losing. What matters is the values that they have, the pursuit of excellence that they all take, the constant state of improvement," Cooper said.

"One of the things that is core to our brand positioning is that we try to champion everyday progress, the people moving forward, and we think that happens in small steps. I don't think it happens in big leaps. It happens in small steps. One transaction at a time is kind of a representation of that.

"What we see in F1 is that. It's constantly tweaking, improving, trying to get better. You see it in all sports, honestly, but in Formula 1, and with Visa Cash App Red Bulls racing team, you see it every single day. They're just constantly trying to make small improvements to get toward excellence, and so for us that kind of reflects who we are as a brand."

Even with the success of the Formula 1 partnership, the World Cup is special for Visa. There are 104 matches in 16 cities across three countries and an expanded field of 48 teams for the 2026 competition. Cooper is looking forward to the opportunity of facilitating the "pop-up economy" around the tournament.

"This is our extravaganza, too, right?" he said. "It’s like the game itself, but it's also the World Cup of payments at the same time."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Visa enlists Jason Sudeikis for World Cup 'Tap In' campaign

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Kremlin says it has 'serious expectations' for Putin's trip to China

May 18, 2026
Kremlin says it has 'serious expectations' for Putin's trip to China

MOSCOW, May 18 (Reuters) - Russia has high expectations for President Vladimir Putin's trip to China ‌this week, and the two sides will ‌use it to develop their "privileged partnership", the Kremlin said on ​Monday.

Reuters

Putin is to visit China on Tuesday and Wednesday, less than a week after U.S. President Donald Trump went there for talks with President Xi Jinping.

"We ‌have very serious ⁠expectations for this visit," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

The so-called "no limits" partnership between ⁠China and Russia, the world's biggest producer of natural resources, has strengthened since the West imposed sanctions ​to punish ​Russia for the war ​in Ukraine.

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"We and our ‌Chinese friends refer to it as a particularly privileged and strategic partnership," Peskov said.

The Russian delegation will include relevant deputy prime ministers, government ministers and company heads, he said.

Peskov was asked if plans ‌would be discussed for the ​proposed Power of Siberia 2 ​gas pipeline, which ​could one day deliver an additional ‌50 billion cubic metres (bcm) per ​year from ​Russia's Arctic gas fields via Mongolia to China.

"All issues that are on the economic agenda of ​our bilateral ‌relations will naturally be addressed," he replied.

(Reporting by ​Dmitry Antonov; Writing by Lucy Papachristou; Editing ​by Mark Trevelyan/Guy Faulconbridge)

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The Late Show with Stephen Colbert takes its final bow | The Excerpt

May 18, 2026
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert takes its final bow | The Excerpt

On the Monday, May 18, 2026, episode of The Excerpt podcast:Late‑night TV has long served as a shared end‑of‑day ritual, shaping political and cultural conversation. With “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” coming to an end, questions remain about the viability of traditional late-night TV. USA TODAY TV Critic Kelly Lawler joins The Excerpt to discuss what the show’s finale says about the future of late‑night television.

USA TODAY

Hit play on the player below to hear the podcast and follow along with the transcript beneath it.This transcript was automatically generated, and then edited for clarity in its current form. There may be some differences between the audio and the text.

Podcasts:True crime, in-depth interviews and more USA TODAY podcasts right here

Dana Taylor:

For decades, late night television has provided us with a shared end of the day ritual made up of monologues and jokes that shape our political conversations. Well, Stephen Colbert didn't invent late night TV, he sharpened it. Last July, when Colbert announced the end of the Late Show franchise on CBS, many wondered what happens when shows that function as cultural town squares begin to disappear?

Hello and welcome to USA TODAY's The Excerpt. I'm Dana Taylor. Today is Monday, May 18th, 2026. Joining me to discuss rising production costs, shifts in viewing preferences, and the demise of one of the pillars of late night television is USA TODAY TV Critic Kelly Lawler. It's good to have you here, Kelly.

Kelly Lawler:

Thank you so much for having me.

Dana Taylor:

Kelly, this might seem like a strange question following his more than a decade as host of the Late Show, but who is Stephen Colbert?

Kelly Lawler:

Yeah, I mean, Stephen Colbert is one of the biggest names in American comedy. He got his start in improv along with a lot of other comedians in Gen X who are household names like Amy Poehler and a lot of people from SNL. And he first came to real national attention as a correspondent on The Daily Show when Jon Stewart was the host full-time in the early 2000's. And he had a character and that character was very influenced by the politics of the time by the George W. Bush era Republican Party. And that character was named Stephen Colbert, but it wasn't the man himself. And he was so popular satirizing the conservative right at the time that he was eventually given his own show on Comedy Central, The Colbert Report, not Report. And that was followed Jon Stewart. The two kind of marched together in this heyday of Comedy Central late night television.

When David Letterman decided in 2015 that he was going to retire from the Late Show, CBS picked Colbert, who was already in the CBS family, Comedy Central and CBS have been owned by the same parent company for a long time. And he's been reinvented on the Late Show as Stephen Colbert the person instead of Stephen Colbert, the character.

Dana Taylor:

As I mentioned, this is about more than the end of Stephen Colbert's run as host of the show. Can you briefly touch on the highlights of the iconic Late Night Show, moments that help define it like David Letterman's top 10 list, for example, and then how Colbert also helped shape that legacy.

Kelly Lawler:

Yeah. The Late Show was created for David Letterman. In the early 1990's, Johnny Carson, who had hosted The Tonight Show on NBC, really the foundational program for this kind of genre of television and he was retiring. And David Letterman had been at NBC for a long time hosting Late Night, which aired after the Tonight Show and had made a name for himself doing this kind of wacky experimental comedy that worked really well at that hour of the night. And when Carson retired, NBC picked Jay Leno to host The Tonight Show, which massively offended David Letterman. There was a very well publicized fight. There has been books written about it. There was an HBO TV movie about it.

But what ended up happening is that Letterman went to CBS. They created the Late Show for him and he competed with Leno at the time slot and he won for a while, but over the course of their competing years in late night, the Tonight Show still kind of won out. But Letterman's Late Show was a lot different than Late Night. It was much more mainstream. His most famous bits were the top 10 list, as you mentioned, which he did pretty much every night of top 10 something that was relevant to the news or something happening in pop culture at the time. Stupid pet tricks was one of his biggest sketches, which is exactly what it sounds like and he made it work in a way that was not so stupid.

Some of the biggest moments in his career, people think of Drew Barrymore jumping up on his desk when she was in the early part of her adult career. They think of Joaquin Phoenix doing that very strange interview with the beard and the sunglasses when he was doing the publicity stunt for his movie, I'm Still Here. And you think of how that influenced Letterman's career, otherwise he hosted the Oscars because of the success of that show and he handed it off to Colbert and Letterman was a very Hollywood guy. He came up through that LA style of comedy and he was really concerned with actors, actresses and the way that show business was going.

Colbert's comedy was political. He came from Comedy Central's The Colbert Report and The Daily Show. And even though he was no longer pretending to be a right-wing conservative pundit, he was political and that's the brand that CBS hired when they hired him. And so he took the Late Show and he made it more political. His monologues were more of the monologue was taken up by politics than in Letterman's era. More of the bits are about politics. And Colbert, the direction of his show was really shaped by where politics were going.

Donald Trumpwas elected in 2016 for the first time and all of late night comedy was shifted into commenting on him every single night, but it didn't really stop during the intervening Biden administration. So Colbert gets called out as political all the time, but it is what CBS bought and paid for when they hired him.

Dana Taylor:

Kelly, we'll get to the money in a moment, but first political commentary has long been a part of late night television. The timing of the cancellation came shortly after Colbert criticized Paramount for settling a lawsuit brought by President Donald Trump. How clear is it what role, if any, that criticism played in the decision to cancel a legacy show?

Kelly Lawler:

Paramount in their official statements has denied that there was any consideration for politics as to the reason they canceled the program. None of us can know who weren't in the room. I will say that the context around his cancellation wasn't just the fact that he had criticized Paramount's settlement with Donald Trump at the time. Paramount was in the middle of trying to get a merger approved by the Trump administration with Skydance Entertainment. That merger has since gone through and not only were they trying to get the merger approved, Skydance is headed by David Ellison, who is the son of Larry Ellison, CEO of Oracle and a major Trump donor.

So when you're talking about the politics, there's much more than any one thing Colbert could have said about his parent company or about Donald Trump. People involved in making the decisions for the future of CBS have their own political affiliations. And again, we're not in the room. I can't tell you exactly why, but I can tell you that all of this is swirling around as the show is nearing its end.

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Dana Taylor:

You've written about our deep and meaningful history when it comes to political comedy, satire and commentary. Can you speak to the role of political comedy in American society?

Kelly Lawler:

I think political comedy is foundational to American society. We think of Benjamin Franklin's join or die political cartoon as something serious, but political cartoons are a comedic part of American tradition. And there's Mark Twain. There's Johnny Carson himself in the mid-20th century and Bob Hope, who we think of as gentle, warm entertainers, but who had a lot of sharp things to say about the politics of the time. They're just not our politics. So we forget those joke of the days when the days are so many decades in the past.

I think political comedy isn't going anywhere. Colbert may leave CBS at 11:35, but he has a big career ahead of him. His peers have found new and old life. Jon Stewart is back hosting The Daily Show once a week. John Oliver has a show on HBO has a very different business model and a very different model for the show.

I think we're at definitely an inflection and evolution point. I think what happens over the next year or so will kind of determine the overall direction of this important pillar of entertainment and politics.

Dana Taylor:

Now to the economics of late night talk shows. Paramount was losing reported $40 million a year. They said the reason for the cancellation was quote purely financials. Anyone seriously arguing now that money wasn't a major or even the decisive factor here?

Kelly Lawler:

I mean, lots of television shows lose money all the time is really the big deal. Yes, it's probably been losing money. The longer a TV show of any kind, late night, episodic, or prime time, daytime. The longer they go on, the more expensive they get because the talent is able to negotiate higher salaries in their contracts. Everyone quotes the famous statistic that in the final season of Friends, the cast of six was making a million dollars per episode and that was in '90s money. And so yes, Colbert's salary goes up. Everyone who works with him, their salary goes up, the writers, the producers. Everything gets more expensive the longer it goes on.

The Tonight Show has been going on with Jimmy Fallon for a little more than Colbert's tenure. Late night with Seth Meyers has been going on for that long. There are other cost-cutting measures that can be made. One thing is dropping Friday nights, one thing is dropping a band. So I would argue that it cannot possibly be a purely economic decision because economics is more complicated than green lighting or canceling a show in our current media landscape. Late night ratings are going down. YouTube, TikTok are all peeling away viewers who want that kind of news of the day commentary, but I don't think we can argue that the genre is completely unviable in our current day and age because they aren't all falling like dominoes. Jimmy Kimmel has survived a major scandal and his show is still on the air.

Dana Taylor:

Well, you mentioned Kimmel. You also mentioned Fallon, both still on the air hosting late night comedy shows. But if a top rated show like the Late Show can't sustain itself financially, are we seeing clear evidence of a broader structural collapse of the traditional late night model?

Kelly Lawler:

I mean, it's totally possible. It's easier to cancel a second show after our first show's been canceled. Hollywood is very influenced by peer pressure. And also if NBC has been wanting to cancel The Tonight Show, for instance, it's easier to say, "Well, look, they canceled Late Show over at CBS. It's just not a viable genre anymore." I don't think that's what's happening. We haven't seen signs from the executives talking to the press. We haven't heard rumors or inklings of more cancellations on the way right now. In the next five years, I wouldn't be surprised if late night was replaced with something else, but I also wouldn't be surprised if it was still going and I wouldn't be surprised if CBS changed its mind and hired someone else to do something similar but not the same as Late Show.

Dana Taylor:

Kelly, has Colbert publicly discussed what comes next for him?

Kelly Lawler:

No, and I think that's the number one question he's going to get from friends, family, any reporters he ever talks to until he does announce something. I think he has a lot of options. If I were a Hollywood executive anywhere that wasn't Paramount, I would be talking to him. I would be offering him loads and loads of cash to come where I am because he's only going to get more popular after he leaves. CBS is a platform, but personalities are what builds brands in Hollywood right now. And there's social media, yes, which is eating into late night audience, but it allows Colbert's fans to follow him wherever he goes and that will be valuable to someone.

Dana Taylor:

Kelly Lawler is a TV critic for USA TODAY. Thank you so much for sharing your insights here, Kelly.

Kelly Lawler:

Thank you for having me.

Dana Taylor:

Thanks for listening. I'm Dana Taylor. What story would you like to hear next? You can tell us at podcasts@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Stephen Colbert’s final week marks the end of The Late Show | The Excerpt

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Sunday, May 17, 2026

See Will Ferrell’s 11 Funniest “Saturday Night Live” Moments

May 17, 2026
See Will Ferrell’s 11 Funniest “Saturday Night Live” Moments

Will Ferrell made a name for himself when he was a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1995 to 2002

People Will Ferrell as George W. Bush during

NEED TO KNOW

  • During his time on the sketch comedy show, he created several memorable characters and landed hilarious impressions

  • Ferrell returned to SNL for the season 51 finale on May 16

Will Ferrellhas had too many hilarious moments onSaturday Night Liveto count.

The comedian got his start on the sketch comedy show when he starred as a main cast member from 1995 to 2002. During his time onSNL,Ferrell made a name for himself with his impersonations — including formerPresident George W. BushandHarry Caray— and creative fictional characters — such as Craig Buchanan, David Leary and Marty Culp, among others.

Even after Ferrell leftSNL, he reprised several of his beloved roles for years to come. He's hosted the show five times from 2005 to 2019 and returned to the gig for theseason 51 finaleon May 16.

While promoting the upcoming episode, Ferrell paid homage to one of his famous sketches, "Get Off the Shed," in apre-taped skitwith cast membersChloe FinemanandSarah Sherman.

Here, take a look back at some of Will Ferrell's most memorable moments fromSaturday Night Live.

"More cowbell!"

Will Ferrell during the 'More Cowbell

While there are no shortage of standout moments from Ferrell's time onSNL, one that might immediately come to mind is the "More Cowbell" sketch from season 25 in 2000.

Ferrell, who also wrote the skit, starred ascowbell player Gene Frenklefor the Blue Öyster Cult band.

The skit follows Gene and fellow band members — played byChris Parnell,Jimmy Fallon,Chris KattanandHoratio Sanz— as they record the song "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" for music producer Bruce Dickinson (portrayed by guest hostChristopher Walken).

As the group records the song, Bruce insists over and over again that he needs "more cowbell" from Gene — who is also dressed in a low-cut, form-fitting brown shirt that rises up and gets in the way of his bandmates. "More cowbell" irritates the rest of the bandmates to no end, but Bruce doesn't give up.

The sketch became so well-known that Walken even told Ferrell he's frequently asked to play the cowbell and joked that the sketch "ruined my life."

"Get Off the Shed!"

Will Ferrell during

One of Ferrell's first sketches that made him a beloved cast member was one that he auditioned with and later brought to the stage as "Get Off the Shed" in season 21 in 1995.

The simple yet humorous skit revolves around Frank Henderson inviting over his new neighbors (played byDavid KoechnerandNancy Walls Carell) for a barbecue. While having casual conversation, Frank tells his off-screen children to "get off the shed."

As the situation plays out, Frank gets more and more upset with his kids and ends up screaming at the top of his lungs, "Get off the damn shed!" while taking off his belt as a threat, to which the neighbors beg the kids, "Please get off the shed!"

Ferrell referenced the famed 1995 sketch while promoting season 51 ofSNLwhen he repeatedly screamed, "Get off the damn stage!" in a teaser.

"Spartan Cheerleaders"

Will Ferrell as Craig Buchanan and Cheri Oteri as Aranna during the 'Football Game' skit on SNL.Credit: Al Levine/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty

Another one of Ferrell's most memorable earlier roles was overly excited high school wannabe cheerleader Craig Buchanan in the 1997 season 23 cold open sketch "Spartan Cheerleaders at Tryouts."

Ferrell played Craig alongside fellow hopeful cheerleader Arianna (Cheri Oteri) as they do every strange and gravity-defying moves to make their high school cheer team. Their cheer phrases and choreography get wackier every second as they try to prove themselves.

The skit became an instant classic, and Ferrell and Oteri reprised their roles several times — including during his 2012 hosting gig.

"Mark Jensen's Family Christmas"

Will Ferrell sings 'It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year' on SNL.Credit: Saturday Night Live/Tiktok

In addition to his dozens of regularSNLseason appearances, Ferrell has also become known for his roles in the holiday specials.

During the season 26 Christmas special in December 2000, Ferrell went all out as fictional singer Mark Jensen in "Mark Jensen's Family Christmas." In the skit, Jensen is putting on a live Christmas special in front of a joyful choir behind him.

However, Jensen isn't just singing on a stage — he's actually rotating on a circular platform for several minutes. While belting out "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year," Jensen starts to feel ill from the motion and subsequently gets sick all over the stage, while refusing to end the show.

"The Love-ahs with Barbara and Dave"

Rachel Dratch as Virginia Klarvin and Will Ferrell as Roger Klarvin during the

Two Love-ahs like no-othah!

Ferrell andRachel Dratchtransformed into Roger and Virginia Klarvin — an expressive college professor couple who can't keep their hands off each other.

They debuted their characters in aseason 26 episodewithKatie Holmesin 2001 and later reprised their roles in "Love-ahs" skits over the next several years alongside Fallon and other guest hosts Walken,Drew BarrymoreandWinona Ryder.

While the sketch — which was created by Dratch after taking inspiration from one of her former professors — became a staple for both Ferrell and Dratch, it also helped launch Fallon's career, since he famouslycouldn't stop laughing during nearly all of his appearances.

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Robert Goulet

Will Ferrell as Robert Goulet during

Ferrell introduced his exaggerated impersonation of famed entertainer Robert Goulet for season 26 in 2000. For his memorable impression, Ferrell often acted inebriated or over-the-top while performing and interrupting himself to tell random stories.

He portrayed Goulet, who approved of the sketch ahead of his 2007 death, in several episodes — including the 2001 "The Robert Goulet Christmas Special" sketch.

In 2025,Ferrell reprised the role once againfor theSNL 50th Anniversary SpecialalongsideKristen Wiigand other stars for a joint "The Lawrence Welk Show" skit.

"Celebrity Jeopardy!"

Will Ferrell as Alex Trebek and Darrell Hammond as Sean Connery during

Another person whom Ferrell had fun impersonating wasJeopardyhostAlex TrebekinCelebrity Jeopardyskits. The skit was fairly self-explanatory, as Ferrell portrayed Trebek while asking simple questions to struggling celebrities.

The sketch frequently ran throughout Ferrell's time as a cast member from 1995 to 2002 and often featured that week's celebrity host as one of the contestants. In addition to the rotating contestants,Darrell Hammondalmost always appeared as Trebek's enemy, a fictional version of the lateSean Connery.

Ferrell helmed the podium when he returned to host in 2005, 2009 and theshow's 40th anniversary specialin February 2015. Trebek, whodied in 2020, even made a cameo alongside Ferrell in 2002.

James Lipton

Will Ferrell as James Lipton during

Ferrell also became known for his parody ofJames Liptonhosting his famed showInside the Actors Studio. In his Lipton impression, Ferrell stared down his celebrity guests while asking them intense and pretentious questions.

The sketch became an instant hit, and Ferrell hosted the fictionalInside the Actors Studioas Lipton several times while he was a cast member. Among other notable moments, Ferrell famously coined the catchphrase "scrumtrulescent," which he used to describe something too marvelous to comprehend.

Lipton, whodied in 2020, befriended Ferrell as a result of the sketch and told CNN in 2012 that he "love[d]" the impersonation and found it "flattering," perThe Hollywood Reporter.

“Strategery”

Ana Gasteyer as Katherine Harris and Will Ferrell as President George W. Bush during

Of all of Ferrell's characters and impersonations, heportrayed former President Bushthe most.

Ferrell made his debut as Bush in season 25 and went on to appear in dozens of sketches as the president until his departure. Ferrell returned as Bush as recently as season 43 in 2018.

His legendary impression even landed him a 2009 show on Broadway,You're Welcome America: A Final Night with George W. Bush.

While Ferrell had no shortage of laugh out loud moments as the former president, one of the more memorable skits had an effect on Bush for years. During a2000 debate sketch, Ferrell famously made up the word "strategery."

Bush's daughter,Jenna Bush Hager, later revealed that herdad was convinced for years that he was the personwho made the blunder.

"Someone else wrote that,” Ferrell said during a 2022 appearance on theTodayshow, while Bush Hager confirmed that her dad had no idea it wasn't real until recently. “Lorne Michaels told my dad, ‘You never said that,’ and he said, ‘What? I spent all those years [thinking I’d said it].' "

Ferrell quipped, "Oh, I knew all along. I’m sorry, Mr. President.”

"Dissing Your Dog"

Will Ferrell during

While Ferrell had several recurring characters over the years, he also had a handful of one-hit-wonder skits.

In December 2001, Ferrell appeared in a pre-taped segment as "unhinged dog trainer," Dale Sturtevant, for "Dissing Your Dog."

While promoting his services in a commercial, Sturtevant shows off his unique skill set — which includes verbally mocking the sweet pups with sarcastic insults and humiliating remarks.

"Short Shorts for the USA"

my Poehler, Horatio Sanz as Vasquez Gomez-Vasquez, Seann William Scott, Will Ferrell as Dale McGrew, Rachel Dratch as Barbara and Seth Meyers during the

Have shorts ever been the same since Ferrell's 2001 sketch, "Short Shorts for the USA"?

In the season 27 episode, Ferrell shows up late to an office meeting as dedicated employee Dale. However, Dale is wearing a questionable outfit — a U.S.A. crop top and patriotic flag briefs.

Dale joins the meeting as if it's a normal day, but his colleagues are grossed out by the NSFW outfit. When asked why "those shorts [are] so short," Dale famously asks the question, "Why are long pants long? Why are bushes bushy?"

By the end of the sketch, his rousing patriotic speech convinces the rest of his colleagues that he's in the right — up until his shorts rip.

Read the original article onPeople

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See how President Trump approval rating changed amid economic concerns

May 17, 2026
See how President Trump approval rating changed amid economic concerns

In an interview this past week, President DonaldTrump prioritized foreign policyover domestic economic concerns. When questioned about rising gas prices on May 12, the president said his focus was on preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

USA TODAY

“I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation. I don’t think about anybody. I think about one thing. We cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon. That’s all,” Trump said.

With less than six months until the midterm elections,Donald Trump’s position on domestic affairs appears to be triggering disapproval among voters, according to anew CNN/SSRS poll, as concerns about rising costs as well as healthcare continue to weigh on Americans.

The survey, conducted April 30 to May 4, found 77% of Americans say Trump’s policies have increased the cost of living in their communities, while about two-thirds say those policies have worsened economic conditions nationwide. The results also show Trump’s approval on the economy at a low point and his healthcare disapproval at a record high.

The poll surveyed 1,499 U.S. adults and has a margin of error of ±2.8 percentage points.

US President Donald Trump boards Air Force One before his departure from Beijing Capital Airport in Beijing on May 15, 2026.

More:Vegan, '6 genders', a 'real hit on Jesus.' Why is Trump going after Talarico?

Trump’s approval ratings

Trump’sdisapproval on healthcarehas reached 65%, the highest level for any president this century, with former Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush hitting peaks of 63% in 2006 and 2014, respectively. according to a CNN analysis.

Overall, just35% of Americans approve of Trump’s performance, leaving him underwater in the latest survey. His approval rating has been net negative for roughly a year and has trended more negative in recent months.

According to polling averages as of May 15:

Trump approval rating in New Jersey

According toCiviqs, last updated May 13, Trump's net approval in New Jersey stood at -33%.

New Jersey tilts unfavorable overall. About 65% of New Jersey residents polled currently disapprove of the president's performance.About 32% approve and another 3% did not choose either.

Education: Respondents across all education levels disapprove of Trump’s job performance, with postgraduate at 78%, college graduate at 67% and non-college graduate at 60%.

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Gender: Roughly two-thirds of women (70%) disapprove of Trump's performance. Men lean unfavorable toward Trump, with 59% disapproving and 37% approving.

Age: Roughly two-thirds of voters aged 18-34 (76%) disapprove of Trump's performance, followed by 68% of 35-49-year-olds, 59% of those 65 and older and 58% of 50-64-year-olds.

Party: Democrats were most unfavorable toward Trump, with 98% disapproving, followed by independents at 61% disapproval. Meanwhile, Republicans were the most favorable toward Trump, with 85% approving of Trump's job performance.

Race: Black or African-American voters had the highest unfavorable opinion of Trump, with 88% disapproving, followed by Hispanic/Latino and Other tied at 70% disapproval and white at 59% disapproval.According toCiviqs, last updated May 13, Trump's net approval in New Jersey stood at -33%.

New Jersey tilts unfavorable overall. About 65% of New Jersey residents polled currently disapprove of the president's performance.About 32% approve and another 3% did not choose either.

Education: Respondents across all education levels disapprove of Trump’s job performance, with postgraduate at 78%, college graduate at 67% and non-college graduate at 60%.

Gender: Roughly two-thirds of women (70%) disapprove of Trump's performance. Men lean unfavorable toward Trump, with 59% disapproving and 37% approving.

Age: Roughly two-thirds of voters aged 18-34 (76%) disapprove of Trump's performance, followed by 68% of 35-49-year-olds, 59% of those 65 and older and 58% of 50-64-year-olds.

Party: Democrats were most unfavorable toward Trump, with 98% disapproving, followed by independents at 61% disapproval. Meanwhile, Republicans were the most favorable toward Trump, with 85% approving of Trump's job performance.

Race: Black or African-American voters had the highest unfavorable opinion of Trump, with 88% disapproving, followed by Hispanic/Latino and Other tied at 70% disapproval and white at 59% disapproval.

USA TODAY’s Chris Ullery, Kinsey Crowley and Joey Garrison contributed to this report.

Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at fernando.cervantes@usatodayco.com and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.

This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post:Trump disapproval rises across nation, in New Jersey, latest polls show

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