Ted Cruz’s Terrible Billy Crystal Impersonation Just Ruined ‘The Princess Bride’ For Us

Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
We get it, running for president is a tough job. You have to be charming, yet firm, funny, yet serious, you have to dance and make jokes and pander to every sort of different crowd. And even if you do something well, you still get criticized.
With that said, this Ted Cruz impersonation of Billy Crystal’s iconic Miracle Max character from “The Princess Bride” is just awful. It must be what his Texan dinner buddies think is a brilliant old Jew from Brooklyn voice, but to us it just sounds like nails on a chalkboard.
But we will give Cruz the benefit of the doubt for going all in and bringing the enthusiasm.
You can judge for yourself. Here is Cruz’s version:
Here is Crystal’s:
Hello, fellow Forward reader! I’m Joel Brown, a Forward reader and supporter for more than 15 years, and currently the chair of the board of directors.
I’m an avid Forward reader because it ticks so many of my essential boxes: excellent journalism, Jewish focus and diverse viewpoints. In today’s political climate, what I most appreciate is the Forward’s independence — made possible by the generosity of its membership.
The Forward is committed to bringing you unbiased, nuanced Jewish news. From my position as board chair, I see an exciting future as we expand our position as the definitive independent voice of contemporary American Judaism.
— Joel Brown, Forward board chair
