Maya Rudolph to Return to ‘SNL’ to Play Kamala Harris

Maya Rudolph returns to ‘Saturday Night Live’ — just ahead of the 2024 election

The actress will return to the comedy show to play Vice President Kamala Harris ahead of the November election, according to reports Hollywood Reporter. Universal Television and Lorne Michael’s Broadway Video have delayed production on Rudolph’s Apple TV+ series “Loot,” giving her the time she needs to reprise her role as Harris, THR reported.

Rudolph originally played Harris, first as a presidential candidate after which as Biden’s vice presidential candidate, from 2019 to 2021. She most recently played the politician in a March 2021 episode of “SNL,” which she also hosted, according to THR . In the sketch, Martin Short plays Harris’ husband, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff.

Rudolph is just considered one of many stars to have played politicians on the long-lasting sketch show. Comedian Jay Pharoah played Barack Obama during his second term, and Fred Armisen appeared as the previous U.S. president from 2008 to 2012, according to Vanity fair. According to a report by THR, fans have been clamoring for Rudolph to return as Harris on “SNL” because the vp announced earlier this month that she was running for president.

According to Rudolph, she gained widespread approval for her parody of Harris “when she was featured in the cold open of the December 21, 2019 episode of SNL hosted by Eddie Murphy.” DeadlineThe actress won a 2020 Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her performance, despite only having a number of lines of dialogue, according to Deadline.

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News of Rudolph’s return comes just weeks after Harris unveiled her presidential campaign. The vp announced her run shortly after President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 race and endorsed her as his successor. In the weeks since, several celebrities have expressed their support for Harris, including Shonda Rhimes, Spike Lee and Beyoncé.

The “Sorry” singer gave Harris permission to use her song “Freedom” through the presidential candidate’s campaign. The vp broke out the 2016 song, which was featured on Beyoncé’s breakthrough album Lemonade, during her first official visit to campaign headquarters on July 22.

The fiftieth season of “SNL” will premiere on September 28.