Rosie O’Donnell will not play Steve Bannon on “SNL” this weekend, according to publicist

Rosie O’Donnell will not be portraying White House chief strategist Steve Bannon on “Saturday Night Live” this weekend, dashing the hopes of fans eager to see the former “View” co-host build off the momentum created last week by Melissa McCarthy’s portrayal of Sean Spicer. 

• Rosie O’Donnell offers to play Steve Bannon on “SNL”
  

While a rep for the long-running comedy series played coy -- stating, “We do not comment on rumored guest appearances” -- O’Donnell’s own publicist put an end to the excitement by insisting that O’Donnell would not be appearing on the show Saturday night. 

So far, “SNL” has portrayed Bannon as the Grim Reaper.

• Melissa McCarthy channels Sean Spicer in new “Saturday Night Live” sketch
  

On Thursday, O’Donnell changed her Twitter profile picture to a fan-made image of her face superimposed on Bannon’s body, a move many took as a signal that she would be taking on the role. 

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• Steve Bannon