Who played Melania Trump on Stephen Colbert?

While many Americans are glad to be free of a Donald Trump presidency (though the threat always lingers), there was one good thing to come from Trump’s time in the White House: The Late Show with Stephen Colbert‘s excellent coverage of the crazy world of U.S. politics. When Trump became president in Nov. 2016, Colbert wasted no time before turning political moments into late night news satire.

Even before Trump was elected, The Late Show began creating parodies of Trump while on the campaign trail. One early parody was of former first lady Melania Trump’s speech at the 2016 Republican National Convention, where Melania had been accused of reusing lines from then-current first lady Michelle Obama. The Late Show‘s Melania impressionist became a beloved staple throughout Trump’s presidency before giving her last performance in 2021.

Recently, “Melania” has returned to The Late Show to talk about how she feels about her husband’s many legal problems. The actress does an uncanny Melania impression and her comedic timing is impeccable; who is she?

The actress behind The Late Show‘s Melania Trump

The actress who plays Melania Trump on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert is Tony Award-winning actress Laura Benanti. Benanti is a renowned musical theater actress, first appearing on Broadway as Maria in The Sound of Music. She continued to do Broadway musicals and received nominations for her performances in Swing! and Into the Woods. In 2008, she won multiple awards, including the Tony for Best Featured Actress in a Musical, for her role as Louise in Gypsy. Her last stage performance was as Eliza Doolittle in a revival of My Fair Lady.

Apart from her roles on stage, Benanti has also appeared in television and film roles. Notably, Benanti played Detective Nick Amaro’s wife Amy in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and had a recurring role in Supergirl as Alura In-Ze (Kara’s mother) from 2015 to 2017. As a Broadway star, Benanti has a clear inclination to music and she released her first album in 2020.

After her first appearance as Melania in 2016, Benanti continued to appear in the role before exiting the show in 2021 with a musical number about returning to New York City following the Jan. 6 insurrection. Last night’s appearance was the first time Benanti returned to the show in two years and she’s already gaining new fans for her hilarious impression of the former first lady. As Trump’s antics continue to ramp up in light of his legal saga, we can only hope Benanti continues to play Melania for some much-needed comedy relief.