Former governor of Alaska and one-time candidate for vice president Sarah Palin has seen quite a few jokes at her expense over the years, and a good many of them were played out in front of a live studio audience–and the world–on “Saturday Night Live”, thanks to lookalike Tina Fey.

As the first Republican female to ever be nominated for the vice presidency, Palin played an important part in the country’s history during the 2008 election; however, her personal life, strong endorsement for the Tea Party movement, and a few verbal missteps made some voters keep her at a distance, and it also made her a prime target for jokes in the media and on television. The fact that she was an attractive woman in the male-dominated world of politics also lent to the comedy, particularly Tina Fey’s version.

As Palin celebrates her 50th birthday today, let’s take a look back at some of the best SNL clips featuring one of the most spot-on impersonations the show has ever seen, and some that feature Palin herself.

Fey wrote in her book “Bossypants” that during the SNL episode that featured Palin, she specifically asked not to share screen time with her so as not to make it appear that she was endorsing Palin in any way with her impersonation. However, Palin offered to have her daughter, Bristol, babysit Fey’s daughter on the set if she wanted to come visit while they were shooting. Fey declined, but wrote, “I appreciated the mom-ness of Mrs. Palin’s offer.”

Image via Wikimedia Commons