Danny Rouhier, as a professional comedian, has done thousands of Charles Barkley impressions through the years.
But something about this one, a reaction video to the NBA Playoffs which Rouhier posted last Thursday night, had that special viral ingredient which caused it to catch absolute wildfire on Twitter.
In response to the Denver Nuggets eliminating the Portland Trail Blazers in six games, Rouhier satirizes how Barkley at times mispronounces difficult player names, referring to Michael Porter, Jr. as "Michael Jr. Porter" and, after several failed attempts, he settles on calling Nikola Jokic "Jimmy Joe Jerkic."
It was a masterclass in impression work, with Rouhier nailing not only Barkley's voice and cadence, but also — as is the sign of any expert impression — he picked up on the subtle nuance of Barkley's mannerisms and oratory tendencies.
Rouhier's impression was so spot-on, it caught the attention of TNT producers, who brought it to Barkley's attention on the Saturday edition of "Inside the NBA." Ernie Johnson was the messenger, who set the stage by saying, "Chuck, are you familiar with Danny Rouhier?"
"Danny Rouhier? Not by name," Barkley replied.
"Sports talk radio host in D.C. 106.7 The Fan. He does a show with Grant Paulsen," Johnson prefaced. "And he's also a comedian. And he can do some impressions."
"Uh oh," fellow panelist Kenny Smith reacted.
"One in particular," Johnson continued, "which I think you will find scary. Have you seen this?"
"I don't think I have," said Barkley.
"It went super viral," said Smith. "Everybody [sent it to us]."
"This is tremendous," Johnson continued. "Here's Danny..."
This Chuck impression is spot on 😂
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) June 6, 2021
(via @funnydanny) pic.twitter.com/J6ToXph1TH
Drawing applause from the TNT crew, Rouhier's impression prompted this reaction from them.
"I've heard a lot of guys do you," Johnson said. "I don't know if anybody's been better than that."
"That's pretty good right there," Barkley said, smiling and clapping, before — with cosmic perfection — botching the pronunciation of Rouhier's name. "Danny Rouh-tay?"
"Rouh-yay," Johnson corrected Barkley.
"Rouhier," Barkley said on his second effort. "That was pretty good, man. A very talented dude."
Barkley reminded viewers that comedian Frank Caliendo still holds the title for the best him impression.
"Oh, Frank's the best," he said. "Frank's my man. He's in D.C.?"
"Yeah, he is," Johnson said. "So next time 106.7 The Fan calls you for an interview..."
"But we're not going to D.C. anytime soon," Barkley said, taking aim at the Wizards, who were eliminated in the first round. "I've seen them guys play."
Blindsided by his newfound notoriety, Rouhier graciously thanked TNT for airing his impression Saturday night.
By Sunday night, Rouhier was still taking a victory lap, and understandably so.
Indeed, Caliendo is well-known for his impression work and his Barkley impression is among the best around. In fact, he once did dueling Barkleys in studio with Rouhier.
As of Monday morning, Rouhier's Barkley impression had generated more than 1.4 million views.
UPDATE: Now Shaq has called out Danny Rouhier, issuing him a challenge. Danny was a special guest on Tuesday's "Inside the NBA," where he hilariously interviewed Charles Barkley as Charles Barkley.
Rouhier reacted to his viral moment at the start of Monday afternoon's 'Grant & Danny' broadcast, which you can listen to below.
