Gavin Newsom impersonator Josh Meyers sets the internet ablaze with incredible spoof of California governor: ‘I only vape Merlot’

A comedian’s vaping, mischievous impersonation of liberal California Governor Gavin Newsom, which exaggerates the leftist’s eccentricities, has made a viral mark.

Josh Meyers, 48, has been on TV and in movies for decades, including several seasons on MADtv and Date Movie.

He is also the brother of “Late Night” host Seth Meyers, but is on another talk show where he plays the Newsom character – who he calls a mix of a frat boy and Jeff Spicoli from “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” – has made a favorite .

Meyers has been doing this impression for more than a decade, including on a fake talk show called “The Gavin Newsom Show” that aired on Al Gore-owned Current TV. He even performed the impression on his brother’s NBC show.

However, it is on Jimmy Kimmel’s show that the impression has caught the attention of viewers and even the governor himself.

Meyers portrays his impression of Newsom — whom he calls a “central casting” politician — as an even bigger liberal caricature than the governor appears in real life, but perhaps more of a typical “Hollywood bro” type.

“There’s a bit of a stereotypical Cali, which I think the rest of the country resonates with quite strongly, and it just makes him fun because he’s so smart, so well-read and so off-the-cuff,” he says of the impression .

In one sketch, he offers to share his vape amid a fake commercial promoting his expansion of access to drugs, before telling a voter, “I only vape Merlot.”

At one point, Meyers, like Newsom, says he would “make vaping mandatory in offices, hospitals and Ferrari dealerships.”

In another bit, he takes on the Governor’s obsession with solar energy and wonders if he can harness the power of the moon: “What about the moon’s power?”

Kimmel also had Meyers parody the governor’s infamous Fox News debate with Ron DeSantis, staging a mock fight with MyPillow impresario Mike Lindell.

There has been more serious criticism of Newsom, such as when he was caught dining in violation of COVID-19 rules during the height of the pandemic.

He joked about the tough decision Newsom made, such as “whether to order the Monterey Bay abalone gratin or the Devil’s Gulch rabbit.” Just kidding, it’s a set menu, so you get everything.’

Meyer’s criticism comes from a California resident who told the San Francisco Chronicle that he likes Newsom and is a liberal himself.

However, he says his anti-Newsom friends have appreciated his criticism of the man some have proposed as Joe Biden’s replacement.

“I have friends who definitely don’t like Newsom, and they text me and say, ‘Oh, keep ripping him. And then I have friends who like it and they say, ‘We really enjoyed it.’ So I like that,” he said.

The Chronicle checked the impression and noted that while Newsom supports drug legalization, he has never smoked marijuana himself.

“He’s slick and handsome, and there’s so much about him that his supporters can love and his detractors can hate,” Meyers said.

He started doing the impression during the pandemic via a green screen he set up in his garage. His brother put it on the air.

The impression has even impressed the governor, who talked about it with Meyers’ brother on a recent episode of his show.

Newsom called it “next level, … but I don’t want to admit that,” with his 14-year-old saying Meyers is “so much cooler” than the real man.

Meyers has made the impression on several shows and plans to continue leading up to the election, where Newsom will likely be active in the campaign for Joe Biden.

Most recently, social media mocked Newsom when Newsom posted a selfie at the US-Mexico border.

The video shows Newsom wearing aviator sunglasses and a shirt at the border in Southern California, near Tijuana, with the fence extended behind him.

“This is the San Ysidro port of entry, not that far away, the largest in the Western Hemisphere,” Newsom said in the video. “We just met with the National Guard here, with Customs agents, with Border Patrol, to talk about our partnerships.”

Newsom said there are 390 National Guard members in California targeting fentanyl.

“Look, at the end of the day, they need more resources,” Newsom said.

It led to an avalanche of criticism online from Republicans and Newsom critics.

California Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher fired back at X.

“Thousands of Californians have been poisoned by fentanyl flowing across the border – now that we’re five months away from an election, @GavinNewsom finally decides to take action,” he wrote.

“How many lives would have been saved if he had done this years ago, instead of waiting until it was politically convenient?”

His message was retweeted by other Republican members of the Assembly. California Republicans accused the Democratic state leader and close ally of President Biden of “holding back on adding state resources.”