Maya Rudolph is set to return to Saturday Night Live this fall for the series’ historic 50th season. Rudolph was a cast member on SNL from 2000 to 2007 and has since hosted three times, in 2012, 2021, and this year, which earned her an Emmy nomination for Guest Actress in a Comedy Series. She will now make a big return to the series as one of her most popular characters, playing Vice President and potential Presidential nominee Kamala Harris.
According to Deadline, Rudolph will reprise her role as Kamala Harris on SNL during the last few months of the Presidential Election race. Production on Season 3 of Rudolph’s Apple TV+ comedy series Loot has been delayed to accommodate Rudolph’s commitments to SNL. Given that Loot and SNL are both produced by Universal Television, the change was easy to accommodate, but production on Loot will likely not commence until after the election, as Rudolph is not expected to play Harris full-time on SNL if she gets the Democratic nomination and wins the Presidency.
SNL Presidents
Rudolph first played Harris in an SNL cold open on December 21, 2019, and immediately became a fan favorite. Despite a small guest role, the impression became an instant meme online and Rudolph went on to win the Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series in 2021 for her portrayal of Kamala Harris. As soon as Joe Biden stepped down from running in the 2024 presidential election and endorsed Kamala Harris, fans began hoping for Harris to reprise her role.
Rudolph previously reprised her role in the lead-up to the 2020 Presidential election, where she was paired with Jim Carrey as Joe Biden. This stunt casting tends to draw big viewership numbers but also creates an issue when the race is over, and SNL needs a full-time person to play the President. Following Carrey’s stint as Joe Biden on SNL, Alex Moffatt, James Austin Johnson, and Mikey Day have each taken a spin with the role. Rudolph has a short window of time before she needs to return to the set of Loot, and SNL will need to find a new long-term Kamala Harris. SNL presidential parodies tend to have a long-lasting cultural impact, from Dana Carvey as George H.W. Bush to Phil Hartman as Bill Clinton and Will Ferrell as George W. Bush.
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Saturday Night Live returns on September 28, 2024. With the Presidential election being held on November 5, 2024, that gives SNL six weeks before the election and likely another seven weeks after to get the most out of Rudolph’s Emmy award-winning performance as Harris.